Exam Euphoria
by Goldtiger
Summary: First KH fanfic! When Roxas is forced into cram school, he didn't expect to find love to be there, out of all places. What will happen to him as the events slowly unfold? What will an introvert have to do when faced with the challenges of daily life?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hey all. Behold, for this is my first Kingdom Hearts fanfic! I'm not much of a writer when it comes to...well, stories in general. I'm more of the thinking type. But, I hope you enjoy this! Oh, and I do not own Kingdom Hearts....though I wish I did.**

Exam Euphoria Beginning

The ticking of a wall clock and the constant scratching of lead on paper were the only noises that were heard throughout the entire classroom. Aside from the occasional cough, the room was silent.

Silent, but not for one certain individual.

That certain individual was none other than Roxas. At the moment, he was doing a prepatory exam for his finals coming up in a week, and the poor boy wanted to be as far away from the paper as possible.

Well, part of him wanted that. However, let's start at the beginning.

_Eight months ago..._

Roxas was never a bright kid. Sure, he was kind, acrobatic (as seen on his skateboard), and good-looking as well. However, this spiky blond-haired kid carried with him two major flaws: One being his lack of social skills, and the other being his weakness in academics.

He was the strange one amongst the class, the one who would prefer hiding himself in a corner rather than playing with others, the one who somehow mixed up the alphabet with numbers, the one who thought that French people live in Tokyo...the list goes on and on.

Obviously, he had gained quite a bit of wisdom (and some common sense) through his constant experience with these wretched mishaps, but it unfortunately did not solve his problem with poor grades.

Roxas knew that he was not the brightest bulb around, but he never thought that he would be stupid enough to actually worry his parents to the point of sending him to cram school every day of the week. Looking back on it, he had nobody to blame from himself. After all, the teacher claimed that Roxas alone could cause the school board into making a letter grade lower than an F.

_Still, he didn't have to be that mean about it. _Thought Roxas haughtily.

On the first day of cram school, Roxas thought that his life was officially over. Going to cram school meant no prankster classmates for miles around, no free time to sleep, loads of homework, and most of all, the confiscation of his skateboard and skating rights.

Yes, his parents were THAT desperate to get Roxas learning.

It wasn't that Roxas never made an effort to improve his grades, because to his dismay, his effort hardly made a difference in boosting his marks. Sometimes, it actually served to _lower_ his marks. Strangely enough, everyone assumed that Roxas never tried. Only Roxas knew that he was just plain retarded.

Therefore, when he first entered the classroom, he was completely prepared to enter four hours of pure torment. He was ready for the barrage of complicated lessons and rows of stone-faced classmates. In short, he was ready to die.

What he wasn't ready for a certain person amongst the troops of mindless work-a-holics.

Expecting an old and stiff teacher to be leading the class, what he saw at first was an angel standing at the front of the classroom. Roxas rubbed his eyes to make sure that the sight before him was not an illusion. However, the angel stayed. Heck, even the aura surrounding the angel did not dissipate, though Roxas eventually found out that it was just the lighting.

Writing on the chalkboard was a girl around Roxas's age. The girl, although wearing a formal cardigan and skirt, made her seem even more angelic. She wore black stockings and leather shoes, which were perfectly polished and neatly tied up. Her blonde hair cascaded down to rest just below shoulder level, but small tufts of her smooth hair stuck out that formed the shape of a halo. Some might find it weird for hair to make a halo above your head, but it only made Roxas think that there really was an angel standing five feet in front of him.

Roxas could do nothing but stare with a wide-open mouth. Eventually, a fly flew into the monstrous cave, causing him to choke and cough quite comically at the doorway.

The girl, noticing that there was a person at the door due to the commotion, turned around to see the stunned boy. She smiled at him, causing Roxas's heart to do backflips. Still maintaining that smile, she asked with a melodic voice that was sweet as honey and pleasing to the ears.

"Are you the new student?"

Roxas, momentarily distracted by her voice, almost missed the question, but he quickly shook his head and stuttered out,

"R-Roxas Hikari! P-p-pleased to meet you, ma'am." he finished with a bow that caused hiim to hit his

head on the desk in front him.

Seeing his flustered state, the girl couldn't help but giggle and replied,

"Nice to meet you too. My name is Namine Kanzaki, and I will be your teacher." She, in turn, gave him a curtsey, mostly to humor the boy.

_...She's going to be my teacher!? _Yelled Roxas inwardly.

And thus the story of their lives began.

**How's THAT for a first chapter? I tried my best to grab your attention. Also, if you might have noticed, I kinda sorta REALLY suck at character discriptions. You know, what they look like and all that jazz. If you've got any advice, just tell me. I'm desperate here. D= Anyways, more will be coming, so R&R, s'il vous plait, mes amis!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Hey there. I'm just trying to break out of my slacker habit, but it's been a losing battle. =p Anyways, hope you enjoy this new chapter. In this chapter, I'm gonna attempt a Roxas POV, so just endure it if you can. :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KH. If I did, it would also be a bad fanfic.**

_Previously..._

"_R-Roxas Hikari! P-p-pleased to meet you, ma'am." he finished with a bow that caused him to hit his _

_head on the desk in front him._

_Seeing his flustered state, the girl couldn't help but giggle and replied,_

"_Nice to meet you too. My name is Namine Kanzaki, and I will be your teacher." She, in turn, gave him a curtsey, mostly to humor the boy._

_...She's going to be my teacher!? Yelled Roxas inwardly._

Roxas, for the second time that day, was struck dumb. Opening and closing his mouth constantly, he tried his best to form coherent and audible words. In the end, he managed to barely squeak out,

"Y-you're my teacher?"

Naminé looked taken aback by the question, but recovered and answered in a polite manner.

"Yes, I am. Although I'm unusually young for this sort of occupation, I assure you that I will teach you to the best of my abilities." Turning around to survey the room, she added,

"Since there aren't any empty desks around, you can sit at my table for today. Just get a chair from the back, alright?"

Roxas nodded dumbly, and went to do as told.

_I never knew angels existed in hell... _Roxas thought to himself

As expected, cram school was torture. A person like Roxas preferred to be moving at all times. Therefore, sitting in a chair attempting to understand the concept of factoring polynomials among many other things was like crucifying him on a cross. No matter how hard he tried, his eyes would just glaze over, and sleep would beckon him as his sight slowly faded to back.

What stopped him from entering the land of dreams was her voice. The voice, although explaining the importance of the atomic bomb during World War II, always brought the boy back. The more time flew by, the more Roxas wanted to hear. Her voice alone gave him butterflies, and whenever her gaze fell on him, Roxas could not help but blush.

He was captivated by Naminé. Nothing else could better describe it. Although he barely knew her, Roxas wanted nothing more than to know more. To be somebody that stood out amongst the crowd to her. To be somebody that she could turn to. How he wished that they could be alone together.

"Roxas, see me after class."

Well, not in this kind of context.

The only logical thing was to do was to panic. Had she noticed him sleeping? Well, that was quite possible, since he was sitting at the front. Maybe she was disappointed with his performance. Or maybe she had noticed his intense gaze at her and officially labelled him as a stalker. For all he knew, she probably dialled 911 while he wasn't looking, and now the fuzz was coming to arrest him!

_Oh crap!_

Since there were only five minutes until class ended, Roxas immediately began planning escape routes and excuses, just in case the officials came in with stunguns. He could probably jump out the window, but that would result in several broken bones, seeing as that the classroom was on the second floor.

When the bell finally rang, the students quickly packed up their belongings and filed out of the room, slowly emptying out until there were only two people left inside.

Namine started erasing the board, and Roxas waited in his chair for the moment of truth. He never got this worked up over anything, but then again, he never got worked up at all. He tended to go with the flow. Whatever happened, happened. Whatever will happen, will happen.

He prayed that whatever will happen won't land him behind bars.

Finished with the board, Naminé put down the eraser and walked over to the desk. She sat down opposite of Roxas and looked him directly in the eyes. Her face was unreadable, which made Roxas even queasier. She clasped her hands together, and after a moment's pause, spoke.

"Roxas, may I ask you a question?"

"Um, yes?" he responded while holding his breath.

"I heard that you are not quite skilled at learning. Is that true?"

_She knows? Oh my god, she knows!_

Hanging his head in shame, Roxas mumbled "...Yes, it's true."

There was a short silence, and Roxas turned his head up to see a smile once again etched into Naminé's face. This surprised him, causing him to blush and to look away.

Naminé missed his reaction and continued, "Well, don't worry! I've met a lot of people who have started off like you, but I'm sure that, with my guidance, you'll improve! I promise!"

It was quite strange to see a teacher so fired up due to a student like Roxas. He guessed that she was the type of teacher who was in it for helping others build their future. Usually, people ran after the money.

This only caused Roxas to become even more infatuated with her.

"Well, starting tomorrow, I'll put extra effort into making you a better scholar."

"How will you do that, Ms. Kanzaki?"

The blonde-haired girl burst into laughter.

Seeing the confusion on the boy's face, she calmed herself down and spoke in a shaky voice

"I'm your age, Roxas. You don't have to be so formal to me."

"B-but-"

"It's alright. Just call me by my first name."

"But...nobody else calls you by your first name."

A slight frown suddenly appeared on her face, but just as quick as it came, the frown disappeared by lightning only to be replaced with a smile.

_Huh? What was that?_

"Oh, it's alright. They're all just caught-up in their studies. They don't really care about these things."

If Roxas wasn't more ignorant, he could have sworn that there was a hint of sadness and bitterness in what she said.

"Um, alright...Naminé."

"Good!" Standing up, she started packing her things into a briefcase and went to get her purse. Turning back to face Roxas, she asked, "Well, you can leave now. Class is over, you know."

"R-right! Sorry!"

The girl just giggled.

A few seconds later, the two of them were walking out of the doors of the building. An awkward silence hung over the two of them. Hoping that it would end soon, Roxas hurriedly trotted over to the bus stop, in hopes that he could leave the facility quickly. To his surprise, Naminé was following him to the bus stop. Curious, he asked,

"You take the bus too?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Why? Did you think I would take a limo?"

"N-no, that's not what I meant. I thought that someone would pick you up."

She shook her head.

"I wish. My parents are always too busy to pick me up, so I have to do everything on my own..." her voice trailed off as she stared up at the sky.

"Really? Which bus are you taking?"

"The 98. My house is quite far from here, but at least I don't need to change buses."

"Hey, I'm taking the same bus as you, but it's a short ride for me. I only have to wait for like three stops."

"Huh. What a coincidence!"

"Yeah..."

Another silence.

Naminé sighed, and Roxas turned to look at her. What he saw was a face full of sadness. Why she had that expression Roxas had no idea, but it caused his heart to ache just looking at her like that.

"Um, are you alright?"

Snapping out of her reverie, Naminé quickly pasted on a smile and replied "Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just seem a bit sad. Are you alright?"

Naminé shook her head and chuckled. "Of course I'm alright. I just...don't feel too good. That's all."

The words that came next started the both of them. Especially Roxas since he was the one that said it.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll walk you home! I mean, I need to make sure you get home safe." Suddenly realizing what he was saying, he hastily added "You know, you're my teacher, and I need you..I mean, for my grades! Yeah!" Roxas blushed and scratched his head in embarrassment.

Maybe it was the setting sunlight, but Roxas saw a tinge of red appear on his teacher's face. Her smile grew wider, which in turn caused Roxas to blush even more, and she happily replied.

"Sure!"

And so the bus trip was not as awkward and out of place as Roxas thought it would be. During that time, they got to know each other. For example, he found out Naminé had already graduated high school and was already certified to teach. People thought of her as a genius, and many respected her. However, she would not elaborate more on that.

He found out what her favourite colour was, what her hobbies were, and how she dreamed to one day be able to ride a skateboard, much to Roxa's astonishment. They traded information about themselves, and before they knew it, it was time to get off. The two blondes walked into a nearby neighbourhood, with Naminé leading and Roxas following. The conversation soon moved more onto Roxas. Naminé was escstatic to find out that although Roxas was not that bright, he was known as one of the top skaters in the city. So, the girl constantly attacked him with questions about the skating world and what it was like to do all those tricks in competitions. Roxas even said that he could teach her how to skate, much to her glee.

Throughout the chat, Roxas noticed that the polite and formal teacher had become an average teenager. She was starting to loosen up, and occasionally made jokes from time to time. Her smile was even brighter than it first was in the classroom, and this made Roxas feel like he was the luckiest man in the world. Well, that is, if he counted out the possibility of failing high school and risking his dignity.

Once they arrived at the house, Roxas was in shock. The so-called "house" was a two-storey mansion. In the front yard were beautifully sculptured fountains and a vast variety of flowers. Garden gnomes decorated the lawn, and the grass was perfectly cut, making the place look like a miniature Garden of Eden.

Upon arrival, Roxas stood outside the gates, while Naminé walked in. She turned around and waved good-bye to him before closing the door, in which Roxas did the same. He then turned around to walk back to the bus stop and checked his watch to see it he would get home late. Apparently, he had not noticed that he had spent more than an hour on this trip, and it would now take almost another hour to get home.

That is why, he did not notice when after the door closed behind him, a small face appeared behind a window to look at him as he ran towards the bus station in a hurry. Smiling to herself, Naminé thought,

_Roxas Hikari...what an interesting boy..._

**A/N Well...I thought that this turned out quite well. To be honest, I had no idea I could write so much without backing out. Anyways, looks like I've presented new elements. What's with the sudden negative emotions that flash across our heroine? What is her past? Why the blush? Will Roxas really get smarter? All these questions will be answered later on, so stay tuned! Oh, and R&R if you can. I do appreciate those, since at times they give me valuable advice. ^^ **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N how's it hanging? Ready for a new episode to be released? Well, actually, id doesn't really matter, since I'm releasing it anyways. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own KH, but I do own at the game... (KH2FM FTW!)**

_Previously..._

_Upon arrival, Roxas stood outside the gates, while Naminé walked in. She turned around and waved good-bye to him before closing the door, in which Roxas did the same. He then turned around to walk back to the bus stop and checked his watch to see it he would get home late. Apparently, he had not noticed that he had spent more than an hour on this trip, and it would now take almost another hour to get home._

_That is why, he did not notice when after the door closed behind him, a small face appeared behind a window to look at him as he ran towards the bus station in a hurry. Smiling to herself, Naminé thought,_

_Roxas Hikari...what an interesting boy..._

_Down the corrosive throat of devil incarnate and into the very depths of hellfire..._

Since he was walking down the hallway towards his classroom for another backbreaking lesson in cram school, Roxas exaggerated the situation. After all, he was determined to keep a negative and despairing attitude. A boring class was already testing his sanity, but after unintentionally motivating Namine into making him a "better student", things were probably going to get worse.

Sighing to himself, he stepped into the classroom, noticing that all of the students were already here, even though he was ten minutes early.

At the sound of Roxas entering, some turned their heads in disinterest, but their emotionless faces soon turned to faces of disapproval. Somehow, the entire class automatically disliked him, and it was only the second day.

Out of five months.

Now Roxas _really _did not want to be here.

He ignored the looks he was getting from the others, and made his way to the table he sat at yesterday. Since it was not a desk, Roxas had to go to the back again and get another chair.

He put down his bag on the table and turned around..to come face to face with another boy about his age. Although Roxas was not a very sociable person, that did not meant that he was also a coward. The boy, although dressed in a baggy dress shirt and black pants, did not do well in hiding his lean build. The stranger towered over Roxas, and his messy blonde hair seemed to contrast with Roxas's gravity-defying blonde hair. Maybe it was the coldness in his eyes, or maybe it was the sneer that was plastered on his face, but one thing was for certain.

This guy is dangerous.

The boy moved his eyes up and down, focusing on his body, then returning his gaze to Roxas's face. Without warning, the brown-haired boy said tonelessly, "What are you doing here?"

Roxas was taken aback by this. He was pretty sure that this guy was also in this classroom yesterday, so that meant that he saw the embarrassing ruckus he unwittingly caused.

In his panic, Roxas thought that he might have entered the wrong classroom. He was tempted to run outside and check the classroom number, but he was glued to the ground at the moment.

A few seconds had passed, and the frown on the boy's face turned into an impatient scowl. "Didn't ya hear me? What are you doing here?"

_That's a pretty hard question to answer, you know._ Thought Roxas. What would one do if a random stranger just came up and interrogated them with questions like these?

"I...I'm in this class."

"I know that."

"...I don't understand the question."

"That's not a surprise."

Roxas blinked at the sudden jab.

"Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Just as he was about to ask what he meant by that, the bell rang, signalling the start of classes. Realizing that he was still chair-less, Roxas rushed to the back and grabbed a chair while averting the mysterious boy's gaze.

_What's up with him? Weirdo... _

His curiosity over the guy washed away when Namine rushed into the room, slightly out of breath. It seemed that she had been struggling to get here on time. She put her hands on her knees and took in a few breaths, then regained her composure and walked up to the front of the classroom. Putting her case down, she said

"Sorry for being late today. I kinda forgot to set my alarm clock last night, so you know..hehe." She ended with a weak laugh, trying to pass it off as a joke.

Silence.

_Wow, thought crowd. _thought Roxas bemusedly.

"A-anyways, let's begin with today's lesson."

In less than ten minutes, Roxas was bored out of his mind and if it wasn't for the fact that Namine was teaching, he would have been put into a coma. He tried to restrain himself so he could actually learn, but after another ten minutes his eyelids could no longer obey him. Gradually, his eyes drooped, and the world of dreams beckoned him.

"Roxas!"

The boy bolted up.

"Y-yes?"

"Come up here and do this question for me, please."

Roxas stared at the board. It was a quadratic function, and the question was telling him to change from _ax2+bx+c _form to _a(x-p)2+q _form. He reckoned that this question was about grade 11 level, but what Namine didn't know was that Roxas had only passed his math by cheating off of others. One look at his stumped face was proof of it.

Namine gave him a questioning look. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh! Uh, no.."

"Well then, please solve the question and show your steps."

It was going to be a long year.

Hours later, the divine chime of the bell signalled the end of today's class, and sounds of chatting students and hurried footsteps filled the building. Roxas, having braved the hardships that were presented to him, happily followed suit and left.

Today had been a lot worse than yesterday. Namine wasn't kidding when she said that she would make Roxas improve. A cycle had developed throughout the lesson: Namine wrote a question and asked Roxas to answer it, he guessed, and nine times of out ten he was wrong. He could tell since the brown-haired boy would smirk at him every time he got an incorrect answer, not that he needed a signal.

What was worse was that Namine didn't seem to be fazed by his countless failures. In fact, she seemed to look even more determined, so determined that she gave him more homework than the others.

Roxas may have a crush on the girl, but he was definitely horrified by Namine the teacher.

With only hours to spare, he picked up his pace and jogged to the bus stop, just in time to catch it. At once, he noticed that Namine had already got on the bus. How a teacher had managed to beat a student in running away from a lesson was beyond the skater. She noticed him, and gave him a dazzling smile, which made Roxas's heart skip a beat.

"Hey, Roxas."

"Hi. How'd you get on so fast?"

"Maybe you were just slow!" she joked, sticking out her tongue.

And just like yesterday, they talked to each other like they had known each other for quite a while. If a stranger looked at the two of them, they would never guess that they had only met a day ago. They probably even looked like a couple to some.

"What! No I'm not! I'm the fastest skater in town!"

"Yeah, but not on your feet!"

"I'm not slow!"

"Yes you are!"

"Nuh-uh!

"Uh-huh!"

"NUH-UH!"

"You're being childish!"

"No surprise there. We are kids!"

"Act your age!"

"Never!"

Realizing how stupid their conversation had turned into, both burst into laughter until tears threatened to fall from their eyes. Roxas tried to hold in his laughter and Namine wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

And that was when he noticed it. The four red marks on her right wrist. Around the marks were small bruises that were purple in color. He just noticed it now, since Namine had been wearing a long-sleeved jacket the whole day, claiming that this year's winter was colder than usual. Since she lifted her arm up, the sleeve fell back to reveal the ugly marks. Namine noticed Roxas staring, and quickly covered it up.

"Um, what's wrong with your arm?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just fell."

"Wouldn't you normally scrape yourself if you fell?"

No response. In seconds the atmosphere had gone from upbeat to awkward.

"...Is something wrong?"

Turning away, she asked him after a moment's silence.

"Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure!" _Anything for you._ Luckily, he managed to keep that part out.

"...Could you...be my friend?"

_Be my friend, friend, friend...._

This was the second best thing that could happen to Roxas, other than having Namine fall in love with him. He was happier than the time Axel "accidentally" set his science teacher's car on fire. (Demyx put it out before things got worse) Inwardly trembling with happiness, he said,

"Of course!"

Namine turned around and her faced brightened.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You don't have to make a big deal about it."

"Why not?"

"Well, people don't really ask things like that. You just become friends. Kinda like an unwritten constitution."

"O-oh..."

Roxas grinned.

"Don't tell me you've done the same thing to other people?"

Namine puffed her cheeks indignantly.

"Of course not!...it's just..."

"Yeah?"

"W...well, actually, you're the first friend I ever had..."

Roxas immediately blushed and scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Oh...I'm flattered, I guess. So then, why me?"

"Well, I like you!"

_Oh my GOD, SHE LIKES ME! _

"Oh...why didn't you make friends back then?"

Namine stopped smiling, and she looked at the ground solemnly. It happened again. The cheerful attitude disappeared without a trace, and a mysterious person stood in place of the blonde girl, a person that Roxas wanted to know more about.

"It's nothing."

"I'm your friend, remember? Friends trust and help each other." Roxas said with an encouraging smile. Namine looked up at him, and gave him a weak smile in return.

"...I never had the chance."

"Huh? Why not?

"...to be continued. It's your stop."

"You're right! Alright then, see you next time!"

"Wait!"

Stopping in mid-run, he turned back to the girl.

"Yeah?"

"Um...be careful! And do your homework!"

Nodding, he hopped off the bus and ran down the sidewalk.

Smiling to herself, Namine leaned against the side of the bus, smiling to herself.

_My first friend..._

**A/N MOAR DEVELOPMENT! Anyways, not much action, but everything's being set up. R&R, for I need feedback. And thanks to the people who have taken the time to read this and actually spent their precious time to comment on this story. I'll do my best! **

**By the way, if any of you have noticed any spelling mistakes or missing words, I'll tell you why I make these mistakes. Every day, I barely have any time to work on it. I'm lucky if I can sneak in an hour in every week. Therefore, I really need someone to help me edit this. Anybody who wants to be the editor, feel free to tell me. I desperately need one, and like Namine, I have no friends. XP jk**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Yo, how's life? I'm back with another installment, so just sit back, adjust your chair, and maybe even listen to something on Youtube. I dunno, do something. :p**

_Previously..._

"_Wait!"_

_Stopping in mid-run, he turned back to the girl._

"_Yeah?"_

"_Um...be careful! And do your homework!"_

_Nodding, he hopped off the bus and ran down the sidewalk. _

_Smiling to herself, Namine leaned against the side of the bus, smiling to herself. _

_My first friend..._

It was a Saturday, a day in which Roxas was relinquished from the horrors of education and given temporary freedom. As usual, he and his cousin Axel decided to go to the local skate park for the entire day.

Semi-pros have to practice too.

Although it had already been a couple of days since that talk on the bus, Roxas would replay the scene over and over in his head.

Ever since their official declaration, Roxas had been on cloud nine. He would spend most, if not all of his time just daydreaming about Namine. What would become of this friendship? How much did she like her? Were these repetitive questions ever going to be answered?

As Roxas continued his meaningless pondering, a tall man in his late teens skated over to him. Braking, he jumped off while using his right foot to kick the skate board up into his hand. His shockingly long mane of spiky red hair, sparkling green eyes, black clothes, and tall stature would usually capture everyone's attention, but Roxas was oblivious to the person in front of him.

The man stooped over, coughed a few times, took a deep breath...and screamed into Roxas's ear.

"EARTH TO ROXAS!"

The boy nearly jumped ten feet in the air. Landing on his face, he quickly got up and glared at the now amused red-haired intruder.

"What's your problem, Axel!?"

Axel's smile only widened into a grin.

"What's with you today? You call me up at 10 in the morning to go skate, and all you end up doing is stare up at the sky like a hypnotized chicken! You're wasting a beautiful day here, and I hear it's going to be raining tomorrow."

"I'm just taking a break!"

"Lies! You didn't even touch your board!"

"How would you know?"

"Because I stole it about half an hour ago."

"WHAT!?" Roxas swung his head to frantically look at his surroundings. His beloved skateboard, which was lying to his right before, was now nowhere to be found.

"Give it back, Axel!" Roxas hissed.

"Not if you tell me what's eating you. You're more of an idiot than you usually are."

"I-it's nothing, really."

Axel, being Roxas's older cousin, could immediately tell that there was definitely something going on. Roxas would never stutter unless it was something embarrassing.

_Well, if I know him, it's either his abysmal marks or his emotional instability. _Axel thought to himself.

Curious to know more, he tried to burrow further.

"C'mon, you can tell your cousin. When have I ever let you down?"

"You set my birthday on fire last year."

"Well, excuse ME for trying to light the candles!"

Roxas sighed, and turned his head away to look for his board.

"Just drop it, Axel."

"Like heck I will. Just tell me and I'll stop badgering you."

No response.

"Aw, is someone in wuv??" Axel gushed with mock puppy eyes.

Roxas stiffened.

_Wait, I'm right? Lucky! _

"S-shut up! Don't make up nonsense like that!" Roxas shouted out, causing a few heads to turn.

Finally finding his skateboard (it was under a bench), he hastily mounted it and skated off. However, Roxas noticed that his red-haired companion wasn't following him, and he turned around to see Axel's sly grin from a distance.

The only instances in which Axel ever had a sly look on his face was when he had found out a way to pull off an ingenious prank without anyone knowing, and when he had found a blowtorch that had been abandoned on the sidewalk outside a construction site. Only one conclusion could be reached: Sly equals bad. Not just for Roxas, but for the general public too.

Gazing at the boy like a tiger would stare hungrily at its new found prey, he asked Roxas in a slow and very irritating manner.

"So, who is it?"

"None of your business!"

"AHA! So you're saying that there IS someone!"

"What! I never said anything about that!"

"But you didn't deny it!"

Sometimes, Roxas felt like punching his "reliable" cousin in the face.

"Tell me, or else I'll start spreading rumours about how you, the cool and silent heartthrob, has a schoolboy crush on someone, and trust me, they'll spread like wildfire!" (a/n Ba-dum-dish! Get it? Cause it's wildfire, and Axel uses fire, and...never mind. .)

"Are you blackmailing me?"

"Let's call it a forceful trade." Axel replied with a wink.

"Some cousin you are."

"I'm only concerned."

"Concerned my butt..." Roxas muttered in an undertone.

"Now spill."

"Nobody would believe you."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah really."

"I'll tell Sora."

Roxas's eye twitched.

_Oh God, not Sora. Anybody but that gullible hyper-active kid._

"You're kidding!"

"You think I'm lying? I've already typed out the text message and my finger's hovering over the send button."

"You don't scare me!" Roxas cried, his voice cracking.

A demonic aura engulfed Axel and he chuckled evilly. He might be a typical prankster, but at times he could be a criminal mastermind. Nobody would have guessed that these two were related, save their tendency to use mountains of hair gel to maintaining their hair style and their talent for skateboarding.

"Really now?...If you want, I'll tell Selphie."

Hearing the name of the gossip-hungry and airheaded girl, Roxas dropped down on his knees and begged Axel to have mercy. Smiling, the red-head put his phone away and crossed his eyes.

"That's much better, Roxas. But seriously, you actually fell for my bluff? I mean, I don't even have Sora on my contacts list!"

Roxas actually tried punching his face this time, but Axel ducked and laughed.

"Anyways, who's the gal? Is she at our school?"

"N-no..."

"Work?"

"No..."

"Online?"

Roxas shook his head.

"Well then, I'm stumped. Maybe it's that Kairi chick! Nah, well maybe..."

Turning his gaze, Roxas looked up at the sky while his cousin continued blabbering about the possibilities. Since the skate park was just a small area in a bigger park, there were the screams of children and occasional shouts from the soccer field. On weekdays, the park would mostly contain seniors from the retirement home from across the street, but on weekends it was the meeting place, the center where the citizens of the town conglomerated. The smell of pine cones and fragrant flowers would be replaced by the tempting smell of smoked sausages from nearby hot dog vendors. The streets surrounding the park would occasionally bring along an ice cream truck with its childlike tune playing from its speakers. Even though it was fall, going to the park was practically a tradition.

The Sun was shining, and although birds were beginning to migrate down south, there were still quite a few that remained, continuing on their business. What this town loved more than the park were tournaments, and so every summer there would be a regional tournament held in the same skate park that Roxas went to. Although it was still half a year from now, Roxas planned to somehow gather up the courage and bring her to watch the tournament.

Suddenly, Roxas noticed that Axel had stopped talking, and he turned to see a face of impatience.

"How long are you gonna zone out, kid?"

He hated it when Axel talked to him like an adult would talk to a five-year-old.

"I was not!"

"If you wanna lie, try not to be so obvious about it!"

"...Look, if it'll make you shut up for at least five minutes, I'll tell you who she is."

Roxas swore that he saw Axel's ears and redhair perk up at the same time.

"I'm all ears, buddy."

"...It's from my cram school."

"You have CRAM SCHOOL!?" Axel burst into a fit of laughter, but was instantly silenced with a glare.

"So, is she in your class?"

"Well, yeah, sort of."

"What do you mean?"

"She...teaches the class..."

Absolute silence. Axel had a blank look on his face, and although it contained no trace of devilry, it was scary nonetheless.

"Wow, Roxas. Never knew you were into older women."

"T-that's not it! She's my age!"

"Uh, FYI, if she was your age, she wouldn't have a job like this!"

"Well, yeah but..."

Roxas felt a pat on his shoulder.

"It's alright, man. I know that sometimes you can be a bit desperate to impress the Mighty A, but you don't have to do this. "

"You wish! I'm not lying!"

"Prove it."

"I..I..I'll bring her here next week!"

Axel grinned his sly grin again. That was around the time that Roxas figured out that he had been played. Again.

He really needed to smarten up.

"Alright then, totally lookin' forward to it!" Without another word, Axel skated away, humming an upbeat tune.

_....Oh crud_

Not only was he played, but he also made a bluff. How in the world was a boy like him going to ask a girl out!? It was unspeakable, nay _unthinkable_! There were now only two ways out of this:

Option A: Try and ask her out, but the brain in Roxas immediately rejected it. After all, the boy lacked courage.

Option B: Escape. This was the more favoured option since it was a very easy route and the path often taken.

However, his thoughts would swivel back to the skate tournament. If he didn't try now, it proves that he won't have the guts to bring her to the tournament. Roxas thought long and hard, harder than people usually saw him think. He thought as he went back home, he thought straight through dinner, and he thought some more in his sleep. His parents tried breaking off his thought drain, but the boy was unfazed. On the dawn of the next day, he had made up his mind. As his eyes slowly opened to the beginning of a new day, the rolling clouds in the grey sky parted, and beams of sunlight shone down on his face. He had been enlightened.

"A it is."

Unfortunately for him, it was a Sunday, and there was no cram school. Therefore, he had the rest of the day to suffer and be paranoid about the consequences of his decision.

**A/N To be honest, I think that this was one of my better chapters. So, please enjoy it. I appreciate any kind of feedback you may have. Until next chapter, see ya!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Wassup. Comin at you with a brand new chapter! Carefully raised, and handpicked by expert mycologists! Well, not really.....**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. **

_Previously..._

_On the dawn of the next day, he had made up his mind. As his eyes slowly opened to the beginning of a new day, the rolling clouds in the grey sky parted, and beams of sunlight shone down on his face. He had been enlightened._

"_A it is." _

Roxas stared out of the car window in a mixture of annoyance and nervousness. Annoyed, because Lady Gaga was on the radio. Again. Nervous because it was a Monday, and that meant he had to face Naminé, the light of his life, for another arduously long class. What was surprising was that Roxas managed to keep himself from chickening out, despite having to suffer through the whole Sunday because of his preemptive decision.

He deserved a medal for this. The level of endurance he displayed yesterday transcended the level of a World War veteran duking it out in the trenches.

What was more annoying than the "music" was the fact that Axel was singing along with it. At full volume. If it was anyone other than the red-head, Roxas wouldn't have cared, but unfortunately for him his older cousin was quite tone-deaf. He was so bad at singing, that his parents made his bathroom soundproof, if you catch my drift. The disgusting exhaust fumes that cloaked the dingy old car made things worse. It was understandable that Axel's first car would be a piece of junk, but the guy should at least try to be considerate to the environment.

Usually, Roxas took a bus to the centre of Hell, but today Axel conveniently had free time, so he conveniently had the opportunity to conveniently drive Roxas to his cram school.

How convenient. Nope, there's definitely nothing suspicious going on around here.

That's why when Axel entered the parking lot, he blatantly swivelled his head around in several directions, looking for a certain female. Roxas clear his throat, and Axel answered absentmindedly.

"Just looking for an empty space."

Roxas may not be a genius, but even he can tell the difference between a full parking lot, and an empty one.

"Yeah, uh-huh, about that....they're all around you, retard!"

"Oh, someone's improving! I think cram school really is doing you good!"

The only response was the sound of a palm hitting a forehead.

"Hey know-it-all, care to let me go now?"

"Alright, alright! Geez...." Axel muttered as he smoothly swerved into an empty space.

As Roxas was about to close the car door, Axel leaned over and gave him one final smug look.

"Have fun, Roxie."

Roxas's face heated up, and he quickly slammed the door with unnecessary force, causing the small two-seater to shake. Reversing out of the lot, Roxas heard the retreating cackles, though he didn't know why he would be cackling in the first place. After all, he was all alone out here.

"Roxas? Why are you here so early?"

Roxas froze. He slowly rotated his head around as he did a 180. Standing behind him was Namine, giving him the same innocent and polite expression. It was true. Class did not start until half an hour later. Since Axel had drove/dragged him here, he had no idea of how early he would be. Usually, a bus ride here would take about forty-five minutes, since he had to switch buses twice due to the horrible transit system. However, with Axel's habit of driving over the speed limit without getting caught, he managed to bring Roxas to cram school twenty minutes early, but long enough to hear various inappropriate and random nicknames, such as "Disco Stick".

Seriously, who says that?

These thoughts, and many others, ran rampant when his dark blue ocean eyes met a pair with similarly shaded blue eyes. Even after a week, Roxas was still transfixed by her presence. Knowing that someone like her existed in the world was mind-boggling.

He tried to spit out the truth, to tell her the reason, to tell her anything coherent, but as soon as his mouth opened, the words just seemed to slip off his tongue and dive right back down his throat. What came out was a strange groan that resembled Chewbacca from Star Wars.

"Pardon?"

How strange. Roxas thought that he got over the icebreaker phase last week. He blamed the weekend.

"Oh, um, my cousin dropped me off early."

"Oh, was that the person I heard earlier?"

_Drat. She heard him._

"It must be nice to have such a nice and caring relative."

Naminé could not be more wrong.

"What about you? Why are you here early?"

"I thought I'd make sure to be on time today. Turns out I was a bit too concerned, so I left my house a lot earlier than usual."

"Huh. You don't say."

The inevitable awkward silence fell over them once again. Breaking the uncomfortable spell, Namine dug into her coat pocket and fished out a key. Roxas glanced at it curiously.

"You got a key?"

"Yes. Why?"

"No, it's just a bit surprising. I didn't know they gave out keys to teachers."

Naminé laughed lightheartedly as she fiddled with the lock.

"You'd be surprised at how lenient the staff members are." She said as the door opened with a loud creak.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Come in."

"Oh. Right."

As the two proceeded to their designated classroom, they chatted about the weather and how Roxas was doing in school. He wasn't so keen on telling her his reputation for failing, but Namine seemed undeterred by it.

When they entered the classroom, Roxas finally realized that since he was so early, the two were going to be alone for the next half hour. Since he would be too preoccupied with suffering later on, now was the perfect opportunity to ask Naminé out (not a date-date, mind you). However, as perfect as it was, the chance was also terrifying. Like most people, facing one's fears are incredibly difficult to do. Since Roxas had been quiet his whole life, he was not used to talking to others, especially if the content was very bold.

Roxas took in a deep breath, and quickly whispered a prayer.

"Hey, Naminé..."

"Yes?" Putting her possessions on her table, she faced the troubled boy, waiting patiently for him to speak.

"Um, there's something I want to ask you....something that can only be asked when the others aren't around. That's why I came early." _Ugh, that didn't come out right. Now I sound like a creep._

"Oh, is it something personal?"

"Sort of..."

"If there's anything I can do, just tell me."

"...Pleas..." _Please go out with me on Saturday so I can make Axel shut up! _

"Please help me with my homework so I can get better grades!"

It didn't take long for Roxas to notice that what he wanted to say and what he actually said were completely different. However, words, like toothpaste, cannot be put back in its original place. He would not want to either, seeing Naminé's bright eyes filled with euphoric excitement.

"You really mean that?"

"Uh...y-yeah." _NOOOOOOOOOOOO! This can't be happening!_

"Then what are we waiting for!? Let's get started!"

In a flash, Roxas found himself sitting in his desk, his back hunched over his homework, stretching his brain to the limits. His only saving grace was the fact that Naminé was sitting beside him, her face close to his, carefully observing his progress.

"No, Roxas, that's not how you do this. You find the inverse, then restrict the equation!"

"I give up..." Roxas cried out, exasperated.

"Don't give up, Roxas! Here, this is how you do it." She took the pencil from the boy's calloused hands and elegantly scribbled out detailed steps on how to solve the problem. He could not help but wonder at how neat her writing was compared to his messy and asymmetrical words. Putting the pencil down, she stretched her arms up and closed her eyes, smiling. Roxas picked up the piece of paper, and looked at what she wrote down.

"I think I get it now..."

"That's great! I think you're getting better!"

"Huh? How so?"

"It usually takes you the entire class, but now we just went through half of your homework!"

"Well, I do have an excellent tutor."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Hikari."

"I'm just telling the truth. I swear to God." Roxas added, putting his hand over his heart for emphasis.

Naminé smiled, but winced in pain and suddenly clutched her shoulder. Roxas immediately gave her a look of concern.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. My shoulder's a bit tight, that's all."

"Really? Did you get in an accident?"

"No, nothing like that. I don't get a lot of rest. Most of my life is made up of work."

Once again, Roxas saw a glimpse of bitterness on her face, but once again, it vanished, and it reverted back to a look of fatigue.

A human being is truly remarkable. Exhibiting various emotions, capable of countless actions, and filled with unparalleled intelligence by any other organism on the planet, we are capable of making miracles happen. The things that humans do are also strange. For example, one could be trembling with fear at having to give a speech, but under certain conditions and pressure, the brain bypasses it and proceeds to carry out the deed without any hindrance.

At that point in time, a miracle happened. All the fear in Roxas's body dissipated, and instead his heart went out to the beautiful girl, who sacrificed so much time for the sake of educating others.

At that point in time, Roxas began to realize how caring and dedicated Naminé was.

At that point in time, Roxas truly began to fall in love.

"You need a break."

"Pardon?" Naminé, who was in the middle of massaging her shoulder, turned to Roxas with a puzzling look.

"You need a break from all this. It's not good to work twenty-four seven. Unless you're a robot, you need time to just chill."

"Chill? Well, I do read a book from time to time."

"That can wait for another time. I've got an idea."

Intrigued, she tilted her head.

"What is your idea?"

"Let's go skating together on Saturday."

Her eyes bulged, and she snapped her head away, her face hidden by her blond-hair.

"I-I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"How should I say this...I think you're a good person, but I don't feel this way..."

"Wait, wha-OH no, I don't mean that! I want to introduce you to my cousin Axel. Heck, I'll even tell him to bring some friends along."

"Naminé shifted in her seat.

"I'm not sure about this..."

"You trust me, right?"

"..Yes, but-"

"And I'm your friend, right?"

Naminé look down at the ground. For a teacher, she still acted very much like a little girl at times.

"..Y-yes." she said shyly, her face showing a slight tint of red on her cheeks.

"Then it's time for me to teach you. Lesson number one: Friends hang out with each other. H-A-N-G O-U-T. Got it memorized?"

Some of Axel was starting to rub off on him, much to Roxas's horror.

There was a moment's pause, and Naminé regained her composure, giving Roxas a brave nod.

"I guess I can go along with it."

"That's the spirit!"

"Anyways,, what's Axel like? I saw him drop you off today."

Roxas stiffened. She just HAD to see him. Maybe it's all for the better. After all, that lunatic always sugarcoats his personality every time he's around people, save Roxas.

"Two words: Be careful. Especially around him."

"Really? He seemed like a funny person. I heard him laughing when he dropped you off."

"Whatever he spouts is garbage. Everything about him is 100% evil."

"But I though the nickname Roxie was cute."

Some day, Roxas was going to kill that pyromaniac.

**A/N Well then, looks like things are finally starting up! (I think) R&R please! Your feedback is very much appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Anyways, hi again. I think I might have attracted some attention with this fanfic of mine. If so, I'm honoured to have you guys read it. If not, well then, it's fine since nobody is looking at this. Moving on, please enjoy this new release. Fave it, love it, even hate it.**

**Disclaimer: KH belongs to the big wigs back at Disney and Square Enix**

_Previously..._

"_Then it's time for me to teach you. Lesson number one: Friends hang out with each other. H-A-N-G O-U-T. Got it memorized?"_

_Some of Axel was starting to rub off on him, much to Roxas's horror._

_There was a moment's pause, and Naminé regained her composure, giving Roxas a brave nod._

"_I guess I can go along with it." _

"_That's the spirit!"_

The next few days flew by in a flash. School, work, and play combined into a single entity and time seemed to speed past Roxas faster than Sonic the Hedgehog: The days existed, but the memories of those days were hazy and difficult to recall. Life only opened up to the boy again when Saturday arrived, the day of the "date" (Roxas insisted it wasn't, but Axel thought differently). Since Roxas had never asked anyone out before, he had no idea of what to wear. He almost tricked himself into wearing a tuxedo if it wasn't for the fact that Axel burst into his bedroom, took a long look at him, and fell on the ground laughing, tears in his eyes.

Even though Roxas was the one smitten by his teacher, Axel seemed to be even more excited. While Roxas tried to find more casual wear, his older cousin tapped his foot impatiently and bombarded the boy with questions like,

"How old is she?"

"What are her interests?"

"Got her measurements?"

At that one, Roxas randomly picked up an article of clothing on the ground and threw it at Axel's face.

It took a grand total of five minutes to get out of the house,another five to dive into Axel's car and to rush back into the house to get the car keys, and ten minutes to get to their destination: the park. Although they were going to go skateboarding, the two blondes had agreed beforehand that they would meet at the soccer field.

Even though the park was always filled with people, the soccer field was one of the quiet places, for people seldom played soccer, let alone like it. Blitzball was the cool and hip new sport, and therefore people abandoned their cleats and followed in the footsteps of Wakka, the legendary Blitzball player of the Besaid Aurochs.

Because the field was hardly ever used, the grass started to grow wild. Weeds sprouted and the ground became uneven with patches of humus and dog droppings littering the field. The nets on the goalposts had several holes and tears in them, and the paint was gradually being eroded away by time and negligence. Although not the most beautiful place in the park, it was a place that ensured one a piece of mind.

Little did Roxas know that he had company.

Jogging over to the soccer field, the two cousins did not see Namine anywhere, but they did see three people sitting at the bleachers, eating sea salt ice cream even though it was winter. One was wearing a huge red jersey and the letters "Dog Street" imprinted on it. He sported a black and white hairband that kept up his mass of dark brown hair. Another was wearing a jacket a few sizes too small, a black t-shirt that was a few sizes too big, and army camouflage pants that were too short to be pants, but also too long to be called shorts. The third person was a girl, and unlike the two boys that wore strange outfits, she wore an orange tank top and baggy pants. It was unknown to Roxas why she would be wearing a tank top when it was so cold outside.

If a person was to walk by and see these three eating ice cream outside during winter, they might have thought that they were a bit crazy. However, Roxas knew better. They weren't crazy.

They were insane.

The boy wearing the red jersey looked up, and noticed Roxas and Axel walking towards them, and waved at them.

"Hey, guys! They've arrived!"

The second boy also looked up from his ice cream and flashed the two a stupid-looking grin.

"What took you guys so long?"

"Good luck, Roxie!" shouted the girl, the last of the three.

Roxas began to see what this was all about. He turned around to face Axel, his back facing the three people who were calling out to him.

"Hey, Axel?"

"Yeah?"

"...Mind if I ask you a question?"

"You already have, but I'll let ask another one."

"...Why are THEY here?"

Emphasizing the "they", Roxas opened his eyes and pointed his thumb behind his back. Behind him were his three childhood friends, Hayner, Pence, and Olette, or better known to Roxas as "Those three". The four had grown up together in this city, and had been together through thick and thin. They started to gain their role in the group. Pence was the chubby photographer, Hayner the random idiot, and Olette the voice of reason. Roxas was the sarcastic one, since he wasn't much of a troublemaker. He didn't need to look for it, trouble just came to him.

Axel chuckled nervously and averted Roxas's furious glare.

"Oh, just a coincidence."

"Then how do explain that?"

By now Pence had conjured a giant poster of Roxas's face with a heart right beside it. Around the borders were the words "FIGHT, ROXAS!".

_Him and his Photoshop..._

"Well, they're clearly cheering you on."

"No, really? What was your first guess?"

Hayner whistled. "Someone's becoming a man today!"

"Our Roxie's growing up!" Olette cooed.

Axel was trying his best not to burst into tears, but before he could, Roxas punched him in the face.

"Much better."

"What was that for?? They're the ones saying that!"

"And I bet they're here YOU told them about it!"

Axel faked ignorance.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You suck at lying."

"So do you."

"Oh, great comeback there."

"Shut up!"

"YOU shut up!"

"No, you!"

"You wanna fight?" Axel threatened.

Roxas put up his fists.

"Bring it, you little piece of flint."

Before they could get at each others' throats, Hayner jumped in and tried to break up the fight. Roxas kicked him in the shin, and soon the three were having a free-for-all out in the field. Pence took out his camera and was taking pictures of the epic fight while Olette sighed and continued eating her ice cream. None of them noticed another person slowly walk towards them, and nobody noticed that person walk up the bleachers.

Hearing footsteps, Olette looked up and saw a blonde-haired girl in a white winter jacket and blue jeans looking around the field. The girl had an awkward expression on her face, as if she didn't know why she was here, and what she was going to do.

Olette, unlike Roxas, was actually highly intelligent. She put two and two together, and realized that the blonde girl on the bleachers was probably Roxas's love interest.

_That kid has good taste._

"Hey, over here!" Olette called out towards Naminé.

She saw her head turn, and soon she was walking to where Olette sat.

"Are you looking for someone?" Olette asked politely, with a hint of eagerness.

"Oh..yes. His name is Roxas."

"You haven't noticed? He's on the field right now."

"But I only see a cloud of dust."

"Hold on a second." Olette said as she turned to Pence, asking

"Would you like to do the honours?"

"With pleasure." replied the photographer.

Cupping his hands, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"ROXAS! YOUR DATE'S HERE!"

"WOOOOOOO!"

"IT'S NOT A DATE!"

"IT SO IS!"

"SHUT UP AXEL!"

Naminé, hearing and seeing the exchange, asked uncertainly,

"Are they alright?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, they do this all the time. No sweat." Pence replied absently.

"Shoot, where are our manners? I'm Olette." She said, putting out her hand.

"I'm Pence. What's your name?"

"Naminé. Nice to meet you." shaking both their hands.

Olette scoffed. "It won't be nice once you meet those knuckleheads on the field. Speaking of them, here they come."

Roxas emerged from the dust along with Axel, who was carrying an unconscious Hayner.

Naminé's eyes widened.

"Are you sure that's alright?"

Olette rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. Hayner always gets knocked out cold when it comes to fights."

The three approached the bleachers, and Axel unceremoniously dropped Hayner on the ground.

"I'll go get some water." Pence sighed, and ran off to find the nearest water fountain.

"Oh ho ho! Is this the girl Roxie wouldn't shut up about?" Axel gave a lopsided grin and stared straight into Naminé's eyes.

"Name's Axel. If you're free, why don't we go somewhere a bit more priva-"

Olette punched him in the shoulder. "Really now! That's just rude, especially since she's Roxas's date!"

"She's NOT my date!" Roxas exclaimed.

"Not yet, kid." Axel replied with a smirk.

"I give up." Roxas mumbled, walking away.

Naminé gave him a curious look, but Roxas was too busy sulking to notice her gaze.

Over the next half hour, Axel constantly shot her prying questions, while Olette held him back, even though she was curious herself.

"You're actually a teacher?"

"Not really. I'm just a cram school teacher."

"Did you get your degree?"

"Well, yes..."

"So you're a super genius?"

"No, not at all. I just studied a lot."

These questions continued without pause until Pence came back with a bucket full of water. He splashed it on Hayner, and the unconscious boy suddenly woke up. Introductions and greetings were repeated, and the conversation/interrogation continued. After another ten minutes of prying, Roxas, who had been eavesdropping the entire time, decided it was enough and cleared his throat.

"Guys, I think you've bothered her enough."

"But I didn't ask about her measurements yet..." Axel whined.

"Great idea! Hey Naminé, what're your-" but Olette quickly punched him in the head, causing him to stumble and fall.

She 'hmphed' and muttered "Pervert."

"Can we go now? I'm sure Naminé's really getting tired of this. Right?"

"I don't really mind..."

"So you'll tell me your measure-" Hayner croaked, who was trying to stand up, but Olette punched him in the head again, and this time he fell unconscious.

_So weak..._ Everyone thought.

"Then are you ready for the main event?" asked Axel.

"Can you skate well?" Olette said, a gentle expression on her face.

"Actually, Roxas was going to teach me."

Pence, Olette, and Axel quickly stared at Axel and gave him a smirk that said what-a-flirt.

"Please be patient with me, Roxas." Naminé said as she bowed.

"Oh! Uh, please bear with me."

Axel sniggered.

Although Roxas feared the possibility of ruining the whole day, it went very well. The five walked to the skate park, chatting amongst each other and getting to know Naminé more.

Once they reached the familiar stone ramps and metal pipes, the boys took out their skateboards while Naminé put on her roller-skates. Roxas came over to Naminé and started to teach her the basics. How to stand on a board, how to accerlate, brake, and turn. While Pence filmed Axel doing ollies, tail spins, and grinds, Roxas and Olette carefully observed Naminé's progress, with Roxas trying his best to not admire her figure. The two boys would skate over to them from time to time and yell out advice or encouragement, and then go back to their movie-making business.

Once, she almost fell off the board, and Roxas had to catch her in his arms, making the both of them blush. Luckily, only Olette saw this, and she giggled at the sight.

By the end of the day, Naminé was able to stand on the board without falling, and her look of concentration slowly stretched into a dazzling smile as she started moving without losing balance. Before long, the sun started to set, and they decided to stop for the day.

Axel offered to drive Roxas and Naminé home, but they insisted on taking the bus.

They looked at each other and gave Roxas a knowing smile, and without another word departed.

Roxas and Naminé continued to talk on the bus, and soon Roxas noticed that he had missed his stop. Therefore, he told Naminé that he would walk her home. She refused, but the boy said it would be rude not to.

Once they got off the bus, the street lights flickered to life, and the two looked up at the twilight sky. It was a cloudless day, so the different shades of magenta and purple were visible. Seeing the dimming orange ball of light, Roxas could not help but compare it to Naminé and think about an impossible future. Having her as his source of light and waking up to see her every morning would have given him enough reason to live and endure his life.

Roxas shook his head. Never in a million years would something like that happen. She was just his teacher and friend, but nothing else. They could have fun like this, but following her was a dead-end. There was no future wit her. No matter how much he liked her, nothing would change.

Absolutely nothing.

Before he knew it, they had arrived at the gates of Naminé's house. She turned to Roxas, and said.

"Thank you Roxas."

"Huh? For what?"

"For introducing me to your friends. They're such a great group of people. I've never had so much fun in my entire life!"

"Aw, you're just exaggerating.."

"I mean every word I say. Thank you..." Before either of them knew of what happened, Naminé leaned over and kissed Roxas on the cheek. Her face as red as a tomato, she gave him a quick farewell and turned around....to see a tall man standing at the front door, with his arms crossed.

Roxas looked up, and saw the man too. He had dark brown hair, and his face was set in a permanent frown. Even though it was a weekend, the man was wearing a spotless business suit, complete with a red tie and eyeglasses.

He looked at Naminé, then gazed at Roxas with his piercing eyes.

From this, Roxas knew two things.

One: He is a relative of Naminé

Two: He was terrifying.

"Father!" Naminé said with surprise.

"You're late. Where have you been?"

"I told you, I was out."

"And I told you not to break curfew."

Naminé looked stricken for a second, but soon she lowered her head and uttered.

"I'm sorry father."

Roxas stepped in to help her, despite his terror.

"I should be apologizing. I was the one who invited her." He said apologetically, finishing with a bow.

The man turned his head to stare nonchalantly at the boy.

"And who are you?"

"My name is Roxas Hikari, sir."

"How do you know my daughter?"

"Father, please!"

"It's alright, Naminé... I'm her student."

The man remained silent for a minute, then continued.

"I appreciate you for bringing my daughter back safely. However, I hope this will not become a habit. Naminé is very busy, and she does not have an open schedule. Goodbye. Now come along, Naminé."

Signalling his departure, the man stepped back into the house, leaving Naminé and Roxas in an awkward situation.

"Well, uh, I guess I'll see you on Monday."

Without waiting for a response, Naminé hurried inside and closed the door, leaving Roxas outside, confused. Then he turned around and noticed that the Sun was gone, and he was alone in the dark.

_**MEANWHILE...**_

Hayner finally came to, and he woke up to see a pitch black sky, and that he was lying down on the ground in an empty soccer field all alone.

He cried out.

"Guys? Guys, where are you? GUYS!!"

**A/N A little bit of mystery and humor. You like? I like. =) This chapter came out a bit longer than I expected but I think it's pretty good. R&R, cuz it's the fuel for my self-esteem. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Hey guys. Well, I'm gonna start off by saying something: From now on, I'll try making this a weekly thing. Therefore, you can expect updates every Wednesday. If you don't, then feel free to flood my inbox with hate comments and death threats. Besides, I don't have a lot to do these days, considering the hell I experienced as a little toddler. Without further ado, please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Why is it called disclaimer? What's the etymology behind this word? Oh, and I don't own KH.**

**But I DO own your souls. O_O**

_Previously..._

"_I appreciate you for bringing my daughter back safely. However, I hope this will not become a habit. Naminé is very busy, and she does not have an open schedule. Goodbye. Now come along, Naminé."_

_Signalling his departure, the man stepped back into the house, leaving Naminé and Roxas in an awkward situation._

"_Well, uh, I guess I'll see you on Monday."_

Weeks had gone by ever since that awkward end to their short-lived joy. The days that Roxas once held him in a state of ecstasy dissipated, and soon he would wonder to himself whether or not they were actual events, but he highly doubted it.

The past few weeks, things had changed. Whenever Roxas saw Namine, he would wave at her to catch her attention. Instead of waving back, she would either pretend not to notice it, or give him a curt nod and walk faster. It was obvious now that his own teacher was trying to distance herself away from him, purposely severing their relationship that had begun to form between the two.

Inside the classroom, Namine called Roxas by his last name, and when she wasn't up at the board teaching, she was at her desk writing. The radiant smile was gone, and replaced with a small and polite upward curve of the lips. It was as if someone replaced his angel with an impassive clone of her. It was as if a door had been slammed in his face, leaving him alone outside, just like the night he met Namine's father for the first time.

Outside the classroom, his existence was hardly acknowledged. Both of them still took the same bus, but not at the same time. Namine would either get on an early bus, or stay in the school office, tending to other matters. Once, Roxas decided to wait for her, but after an hour passed, he gave up and went home, fearing the lecture he was going to get from his mother again for coming home late.

To the class, it looked like she was fulfilling her duty as a mentor. To Roxas, it looked like she was desperately searching for distractions and reasons to avoid him.

It hurt him inside. Thinking back on the kiss he received from Namine, he would marvel at how distant the two of them became in such a short amount of time. At first, his friends (and Axel) would bother him, asking him where Namine was. Roxas could only give them a mere shrug, for he truly didn't know what was going on.

So as the weeks passed, Roxas's attempts to approach Namine started to lessen, and soon his life went back to normal. Normal as in the boring and horrible kind of life. His attention during class slipped more often, and he found himself staring out the window frequently, ignoring everything that was going on inside his four-walled cage. That's why Roxas paid no attention to the annoyed glances that were thrown at him, and that's why he didn't notice a certain brown-headed man stare at him intently.

One day, during break, the man got up from his desk and walked over to the boy. He introduced himself as Leon, and instead of the usual intense glare he received from this man named Leon, the man spoke with no anger in his voice.

"I see that you're working hard."

Although there was no hint of sarcasm in his voice, it still irked Roxas.

"Do you have a problem with what I do?"

To his surprise, the man seemed taken aback.

"No."

"Then why're you giving me this intense glare?"

"Am I actually staring at you that intensely?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Oh...I tend to do that a lot."

"That doesn't explain why you were being so rude last time."

"Oh, that." Leon said, making a pained look. He told Roxas that he tended to have a lot of mood swings; mild bipolarity, he called it.

Silently berating himself for his condition, he stuck out his hand in front of Roxas.

"Let's start over then. A clean slate, so to speak."

"...Alright."

"Well, you already know my name. What's yours?"

"Roxas Hikari."

"That's an unusual name."

"Everyone says that. My family's a bit on the creative side."

Leon laughed.

"At least you're not one of those poor babies who got names like Superman or Harry Potter from their parents, right?"

Roxas gawked in disbelief.

"Are you serious!? People actually use these names!?"

"No joke, man."

"Yeah well, bet you didn't know that you didn't know that barnacles have the largest body to p-"

"I do."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"I've been a student for a while now."

Roxas wanted to ask him about what he meant by that statement, but upon seeing Leon's grimace, he decided to let it go.

For the rest of the class, Leon sat beside him. During the last portion of the lesson, Roxas began to like Leon. He was about as old as Axel, maybe even older, but unlike Axel, he was not devious or sly (or a pyromaniac, for that matter). Leon was silent and calm, with a humorous side. Not only that, but he was also highly intelligent and completely serious about his studies. This time around, Roxas never got the chance to daydream, since Leon would glance at him and either tell him to take some notes, or help him by explaining certain theories to him that he failed to grasp before.

Roxas was curious. It was obvious that Leon was smart, yet he chose to spend the lesson beside him, filling the role of student and secondary tutor to Roxas at the same time. When queried about this matter, Leon merely blinked and said,

"I don't like to see people struggling. Therefore, if I can help, I will."

Those words sounded all too familiar. He grimaced and returned to his trigonometry.

The two became close friends, and now Leon would greet him with a welcome smile instead of his usual intense stare, which still irked Roxas, no matter how many times he saw it. They would share notes and whisper to each other discreetly about the happenings in their individual lives.

Just as Roxas had lost a drive for enduring cram school, he found a pillar of support in this new friendship.

Nevertheless, it did not fill the hole in his heart, nor did it answer the questions that continued to interrogate him.

With every passing day and every tick of the clock, his insatiable curiosity and confusion increased. It drove him nuts to sit still and think about it. He wished this stalemate would end soon.

Little did he know that a storm was brewing as our teenage hero moved into the month of December.

**A/N Not much to say about this chappie. I'm sorry this took two weeks to finish, but it was the Holidays, so gimme some leeway here. :p **

**Besides the laziness, I really had some difficulty putting this chapter together. I had to re-write entire parts several times to get the final product. **

**Just to let you know, I'm in exam month, so yeah, I have a grand total of 8 exams to look forward. Fun, amirite? T_T So I might not be updating for a while. However, I'll try to upload every Wednesday, so you can halfheartedly hope for something on that day of the week. Until, next time, mates. **

**P/S Oh, and as for the barnacle thing....if you want to know, just send me a mail. I don't want to put it out there. =p**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Sup guys. Well...EXAMS ARE OVER. A:LDSFKJHEOIUW 8D. Yeah, I'm that happy. Funnily enough, English was my lowest exam, but my teacher's a jerk, so it makes sense. Try answering a multiple choice question that has four right answers... _**

**Disclaimer: FOR THE BILLIONTH TIME, I DON'T OWN KH. KTHXBAI. .**

_Previously..._

_With every passing day and every tick of the clock, his insatiable curiosity and confusion increased. It drove him nuts to sit still and think about it. He wished this stalemate would end soon._

_Little did he know that a storm was brewing as our teenage hero moved into the month of December._

"Hang it over there, idiot!"

"I'm trying, alright!?"

"Guys, you're too loud."

"YOU try hanging this thing up while balancing on your tiptoes on a wobbly stool!"

"Hey, somebody help me set up the table!"

"No can do, Olette! I can't lose to Hayner this time!"

"NO, hang it on that nail, not the shelf!"

"Shut up, Axel! I heard you the first ten times!"

Furrowing his eyebrows in concentration, Roxas lifted the flimsy Christmas wreath off the shelf and made his way to the nail that was placed at a distance just barely out of his reach. He put one hand on the bottom of the wreath to keep it from falling and frantically thrust it at the nail, hoping that the string attached to the decoration would get caught onto it. Just as the string met the end of the nail, a large voice exploded from the TV screen in the living room accompanied by a triumphant shout and a loud groan, causing Roxas to stagger and nearly fall off the stool. He reached out for something to grab onto just in case, but his finger collided with the wall, which forced him to let out a yelp.

"First, they bust open my Wii in my own house, and now they're not even helping set up." Roxas muttered to himself.

Every Christmas, Roxas and company would throw a party to celebrate the annual event. Although he constantly voiced his disapproval for having his house be the location ever year, the gang always ended up at his pad. Before, it was only Hayner, Olette, and Pence who came, but now more people soon got caught into the tradition. Axel started joining the fray two years ago, and then his best friend Demyx arrived last year.

Demyx was the polar opposite of Axel. Like Roxas, he was not as devious as his best friend, and unlike Roxas, was surprisingly an A-student, despite his appearance. He acted as the negotiator between the principal and Axel every time the hooligan was in danger of being suspended, but would get in trouble himself since he was a trouble-magnet.

The tradition was simple: Olette would do most of the cooking, since she was the best at the culinary arts out of the teens, and because last time Axel had brought over a container full to the brim with gasoline. He insisted that he use it to barbeque steaks.

Every year, Pence would challenge Hayner to a game competition. As the years passed, the games they played also changed. From games like Mortal Kombat to Mario Party, and so on. If there was a multiplayer option, the two were all over it. However, the party favorite was undoubtedly Brawl. Ever since the four earned enough money, they pooled their profits and purchased the game a week after it had been released. Hayner denies it, but he had to wrestle the last copy of the game out of an old lady's hands.

Roxas would keep the game since he paid for most of it, and secondly, he was the only one who owned a Wii. Therefore, his friends would make up any excuse just to come over and "play a bit".

That was another reason why Roxas's house was always the place where they held the party: free Brawls.

Another reason was the quality of Roxas's not-so-humble-abode. His house consisted of two floors, a basement, and a wine cellar. The bedrooms were in the second floor, all joined by a single hallway. At the end was a washroom, which was strange since it seemed to have been added on as an afterthought. The lobby boasted a glass chandelier that dangled from the ceiling of the second floor, but with age the masterpiece slowly deteriorated and lost its former grandeur. Joined to the lobby was a cavernous room that contained an upright piano and a fireplace. A rug was placed on the carpet floor and a glass table was set in the middle to anchor it.

What was most delightful was the fact that the kitchen, dining room, and living room were conjoined together to form a straight line. If one were to turn on the TV in the living room, they would be able to whip up a snack in the kitchen and still be able to view the TV programme. Roxas remembered his parents commenting on how the structure of the three rooms were similar to the rooms in the Masque of the Red Death, but he had no idea by what they meant.

At that time, Roxas was busy decorating the various rooms with cheap tinsel and drab ornaments that originated from a dollar store. Axel was sitting in a leather armchair, observing the fight between Hayner and Pence, and Demyx was playing an assortment of Christmas tunes on his blue and custom-made guitar. There was a light and relaxing feel on that night, as the worries of every single person were suspended for that party.

Roxas got down to adjust the position of the stool, and once again attempted to adorn the wall with the accursed wreath. Just as the loop of string managed to hook onto the nail, a high-pitched screech and surprised yelps came from the kitchen, causing Roxas to topple over. Luckily, the wreath stayed on, but just barely.

He would need an ice pack for his head later.

Since he was already finished with the decorations, Roxas made his way to the dining room, only for him to see an unconscious Olette in Hayner's arms.

"What happened here?"

"Olette saw a spider, and now she's out cold." Hayner simply replied.

"Geez, Rox, you should clean up the place once in a while!" exclaimed Axel playfully.

"I don't want to hear that from you of all people!"

"What about Olette? We can't just leave her here!"

"Put her down on the couch. She needs some space."

With that Hayner carried the unconscious brunette over to the couch and started fanning her with his jacket.

Everybody crowded around her to see if she was okay. Even Demyx stopped his strumming to his own beat and craned his neck to look over the crowd.

"How long do you think it'll take for her to wake up?" Pence asked in a worried tone.

"Well, it usually takes her about an hour before she wakes up..." thought Roxas out loud.

"WHAT!? Then who's gonna cook!? The turkey's still in the fridge!" exclaimed Axel.

It was then that the situation was fully realized. Without Olette, there would be no food, since none of the boys could cook even if their lives depended on it. Roxas did not even know how to work the oven, since he hardly ever set foot in his own kitchen.

If Olette didn't wake up soon, they would have to survive a night without food, which would be a horrible way to celebrate Christmas.

As if on cue, the band panicked all at once.

"Oh my GOD."

"Olette! Snap out of it!"

"WHAT'RE WE GONNA DO!?"

"Somebody call 911!"

"I can't find the phone!"

"Somebody call the National Guard!"

"I just said that I can't find the phone!"

"Use your cell!"

"It's out of batteries!"

"You think that plant is edible?"

"Don't you dare touch those, Axel!"

"Mommy..." croaked Demyx in a weak voice.

"Don't be such a weakling, Demy!"

"You're not one to talk. You're out cold for hours just by getting jabbed in the head."

"You wanna start a fight, Pence?"

"It wouldn't be much of a fight, Hayner." Pence retorted, sticking out his tongue out.

"Why I oughta...!"

The two boys stared each other down, while Axel was comforting and trying to prevent Demyx from breaking down into a sobbing fit. Roxas just assumed the fetal position and stared out a window.

He hoped that this party would end soon.

A moment later, there was a ring at the doorbell. Roxas turned his head and looked at the front door, wondering who it could possibly be. His parents were to an Adults-only party, so they wouldn't be home for a while. It couldn't be Sora or Kairi, since they were having a special date that night.

Roxas looked back at his friends and none of them seemed to have heard the doorbell. In fact, they were still in their respective roles. It was a good thing Leon didn't come to the party, or he would have to have met his friends.

Knowing that nobody else would greet the newcomer, Roxas got up and walked over to the wooden double doors. He tried to look out the eyehole, but it was too dark outside to see. There was a faint silhouette of a person standing outside, that much was clear, but no discernible characteristics could help Roxas with revealing the stranger's identity.

Roxas warily grasped the doorknob, and cautiously opened the front door just enough for his head to poke through the gap. His eyes searched darkness, and they soon met a pair of pale blue orbs.

His jaw nearly dropped, for Namine was standing outside his house, shivering in the freezing cold. She had on a face that was neither happy nor cold, which sent a chill down Roxas's spine. Seeing her look like that was very unsettling, to say the least.

"N-namine? What...?"

Namine reached into her satchel bag that was slung over her shoulder and took out a battered two-inch binder.

"You left it in class yesterday. I called your house, but you didn't pick up, so I looked up your address on the student profiles and decided to bring it to you in person." She explained.

Feeling like an immature five-year-old being looked down upon by an adult, he bowed his head in shame and thanked her for taking to time to bring it to his house.

Namine nodded and took in her surroundings, while Roxas stood at the doorway and fidgeted with his fingers.

"It's surprising." Namine spoke, after a moment's silence. Roxas looked at her with a questioning look.

"What do you mean?"

"It's Christmas, isn't it? Shouldn't you be spending quality time with your family and friends?"

"Oh, that. Actually, I am. My friends are here right now."

"Really? It's awfully quiet inside."

"Guh-!" The boy choked out, remembering that his friends were in an unstable condition.

"Well, we're just experiencing some minor difficulties."

"Oh. If that's all, then I'll take my leave. Merry Christmas." Namine said tonelessly.

Without another word, she turned her back on Roxas and walked down the driveway without another glance. As Roxas watched her receding figure, he was wondering why he could not move. It was as if his feet had blended with the concrete doorstep, keeping him in place. He tried opening his mouth, but invisible hand clenched his throat with an iron grip, refusing to let him make out an audible sound.

The snow that danced in the night sky slowly swallowed up Namine, but Roxas could only stand and watch her walk away.

For the past several weeks, Roxas had been looking for a chance to talk to her, to ask her what the problem was. He would blame everything on the avoidance issue, but deep down he was afraid. Roxas Hikari was afraid of what would happen. How would he start? What would he say? Although he was a bit disheartened by Namine avoiding her, he was also a bit relieved, since it meant that the conversation could be delayed for another day.

In the end, the two had reached a stalemate. Nothing was resolved, yet the problem between them was also unclear, making the dilemma infinitely more complex. He always prayed for one lucky encounter, and today, on Christmas Eve, the opportunity was being handed to him on a silver platter. So why couldn't he move? Why couldn't he speak? Just why?

A sudden memory emerged from his subconsciousness, and an image of a boy with silver hair combed at the middle invaded his mind.

_Just as I thought. You ARE good for nothing._

Calling upon courage and resolve he never knew he had, Roxas ran after the girl he could never let go of.

Within seconds, he could already make out the details of her back. The pale blonde hair flowing down her back, her graceful steps, and the cloud of her breath rising above her head.

"Wait! Hold up a minute!"

Namine stopped in her tracks, and pivoted on her heels. She faced Roxas, waiting for him to say something.

Roxas slowed down to catch his breath, then inhaled deeply and looked straight into Namine's eyes.

He was going to say it. This was it. He could finally confront her about the why she had been avoiding him. All he had to do was spit out the words, the long-awaited words.

"At least give me the chance to say something!"

"...Yes?"

_Say it._

"There's something I've wanted to know for a while..."

_Say it!_

"And that is?"

"Why..."

_SAY IT!!!!_

"Why...are you leaving so soon?"

_For the love of...!_

"Excuse me?" Namine asked, with a perplexed look.

"Like you said, it's Christmas, right? Why not join us?"

"I'm meeting some friends."

To make her stay, Roxas used an underhanded move.

"You're lying. I'm your first friend, remember? I would know if you had any other friends."

Namine's eyes widened, and Roxas could tell that she inwardly cursed herself for slipping up like that. He was caught between grinning in triumph and punching himself for using that kind of tactic.

"Shouldn't you be spending quality time with your family and friends?" Roxas asked gently.

There was no response. The two stood out in the snow for what seemed like an hour. Namine remained faithful to her unreadable expression, and Roxas remained standing in front of her, patiently waiting for her answer.

Just when he thought that Namine had fallen asleep, she stirred, and replied.

"I am your teacher and your friend. Be that as it may, I cannot get too involved with any of my pupils."

Although he never asked for a reason, Roxas now knew the reason why she had been avoiding him.

"Sorry, Miss Kanzaki, but you're wrong. You're only my teacher in that classroom."

Namine shivered, but quickly regained her composure.

"...Alright. I'll stay for a bit...but you're walking me home." Namine added, and this time, Roxas felt the girl he fell in love with beginning to return.

A flare of hope flickered inside Roxas upon hearing those words.

"I'd be delighted, ma'am."

**Reader: OMG WTF TOOK YOU SO LONG YOU NOOB!?**

**Me: I'm sorry... **

**Reader: SHUT UP AND WRITE MORE SO I CAN BE SATISFIED!**

**Me: :( Anyways, since exams are over, you can expect weekly updates, but since this a one man show, there will most likely unforeseen circumstances that will prevent me from doing just that. R&R!**

**Reader: YOU DON'T GET ANY! BAWWWWW!**

**Me: D:**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N It pains me to say it, but I won't be on for a while, since I'm going away for a trip to visit my grandma. It's not one of those down-the-street trips either; It's one of those on-the-other-side-of-the-world trips, so chances are that I won't be on. ;_;**

**Reader: WTF!? Who do you think you are!?**

**ANYWAYS, I'll try to make it up to you by making my chapters longer so I can at least inject more satisfaction and happiness into you readers. Please, enjoy! Because this is gonna be the latest chapter you're gonna see for a while.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own KH.**

**Reader: No really!? **

_Previously..._

"_...Alright. I'll stay for a bit...but you're walking me home." Naminé added, and this time, Roxas felt the girl he fell in love with beginning to return._

_A flare of hope flickered inside Roxas upon hearing those words._

"_I'd be delighted, ma'am."_

The silence inside the hollow house greeted them as Roxas and Naminé trudged towards the open front door and made their way into the unnecessarily spacious lobby. The walk back to his house, although short, was unsurprisingly awkward. It was as if their respective levels of confidence were modelled after a roller coaster. One minute the ice between them was unbearable, and the next, the two acted as if they had known each other for years. Now, Roxas was back at square one - maybe even bending backwards to point zero.

In his haste to catch up to Naminé, the boy had neglected in putting on a coat, and consequently he was covered in a mosaic of snowflakes. He proceeded to fling his arms and brush off the white crystals from his shirt whilst his flaxen-haired teacher stamped her feet and closed the door.

Naminé did a quick 360 of the lobby, and took off her fur coat.

"Is there a place where I can hang this?"

"Oh, right. Here, I'll hang it for you." Roxas gently cradled the piece of clothing in his arms and hung it on a coat hook that resided beside the staircase.

"You have a pretty big house, Roxas."

"Everyone always says that, but it's just a hollow shell."

"It's...homely, but it makes me feel at ease. Does that make sense?" She asked herself in wonder.

"Um...thanks, I guess...?" Roxas replied, having no idea about what she just said.

"Oh, right. You said you're having a party?"

"You could call it that."

"So where are your friends?"

"...Brace yourself, Sensei."

Gesturing for Naminé to follow him, Roxas led her through a door which led directly into the dining room, with his friends in clear view.

To his disbelief, his friends were _still_ in their exact same positions. Roxas was starting to wonder whether or not they had been petrified. He cleared his throat, trying to catch their attention.

"Hey, guys! We've got company!"

Demyx's tear-stricken face emerged from his hunched up figure to gaze forlornly at Roxas, shifting his eyes onto Naminé. His expression changed from grief to shock in a matter of seconds. Axel, who had noticed that Demyx had stopped sobbing, also turned his attention to the two, and grinned so much that the two ends of his mouth stretched into a U.

"Roxas, who's that? Is that your girlfrien-" Demyx started, but was stifled by Axel, who had his right hand over the sitarist's mouth.

_That jerk! He told Demyx about it too, _Roxas thought.

"Yo, guys! Snap out of it! NamNam's here!"

"NamNam!?" exclaimed Roxas and Naminé at the same time. They looked at each other, and exchanged looks.

Like a spell, the cheesy nickname brought light back into the eyes of Pence and Hayner. They ran up to Naminé, their faces ecstatic.

"Where have you been, Naminé?"

"We've missed you!"

"I know what's going on. Roxas hurt you somehow, didn't he?" Hayner asked, giving Roxas a threatening glare.

"Wha- Why are you blaming me!?"

"I dunno; why do I wake up in the middle of nowhere every time I hang out with you guys?"

"Are you STILL mad about that!? I said I was sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't cut it, boy!"

"I'm older than you, Hayner!"

"Oh yeah? Well you're not really acting mature right now, are you?"

"Touché," Pence quipped.

"Are you kidding me? That was a horrible diss!"

"Hey guys, let's all just calm down here. Namine can hear you guys, you know?" Demyx said, trying to make the situation better.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves." agreed Axel. "You're all acting like little brats. Especially you, Roxas."

"Why me?"

"Now apologize for your immaturity!" roared Axel.

The three boys complied and bowed their heads in shame.

"We're very sorry."

"Um… it's alright," Naminé said, trying to get the three boys to stop bowing. "I don't really mind, I just want to know why all of you are in such low spirits."

With that, Demyx remembered Christmas dinner (or lack thereof), let out a loud wail, and resumed his crying. Axel sighed and massaged his temples.

"Y'see, Olette fainted on us and now we don't have anything to eat, since she's the only one who can cook."

Naminé's eyes widened. "She fainted!?"

"Yeah, she's lying down on that couch over there."

"Is she alright?"

"She's fine. She just had a bit of a shock. Our only problem is our appetites. None of us know how to use an oven, and we don't even know how to cook like Olette. After all, she was the only one out of us who took Home Economics in our class besides Hayner, but he failed that." said Pence, rolling his eyes at him.

"Hey! I got a D+! It was a close one! A close one!!" Hayner shouted out.

"Whatever you say..." Roxas stated, giving the flustered boy a wide smirk.

"What're we gonna do...?" Demyx choked out.

Everyone in the household (save Naminé) let out a huge sigh.

Naminé looked all around the rooms, scanning and taking in her surroundings, gradually forming a plan in her mind. She walked over to the kitchen, examining the various appliances and the island counter. Pence, having noticed her actions, raised an eyebrow.

"Naminé, what're you up to?"

Still keeping her eyes trained on the counter, she smirked.

"So none of you can cook, huh?"

"Yeah, it's hopeless. Looks like we'll have to get through this party without nutrition." Hayner said, while Pence nodded his head in agreement.

Naminé put her hand to her lips and narrowed her eyes in concentration as she scrutinized the uncooked ingredients lying next to the kitchen sink.

"Why do you ask, though?" queried Axel.

"Well, it might be a long stretch, but maybe..."

"What is it?" asked Roxas, now paying attention to the girl's every movement.

"Alright. I think I might be able to help you out." said Namine matter-of-factly.

"...what?" Everyone said simultaneously.

"I've seen my mother cook dinner with these same ingredients. Just using what I can gather from memory, I can probably mimic her method of cooking."

All the guys in the room just stared at her with dropped jaws and bulging eyes.

"Wait, you- You don't have to do that! You're a guest, after all!" Roxas stammered. Even if Naminé was able to solve their dilemma, it was unbelievably rude to just make her do all the work. In fact, it was his responsibility to take care of the group, not hers.

"It's alright. If I don't do something, we'll all starve, right?"

Axel cheered.

"YEAH! You GO, GIRL!"

Hayner whooped and Pence danced a jig.

Roxas, however, was a bit worried.

"Are you sure you can handle this? You said that you're gonna mimic your mother's methods from _memory_, but will that really work?"

Naminé gave her a reassuring look. "Watch me."

Typing her hair into a pony tail, she brushed her loose strands of hair behind her ears and rolled up her sleeves.

"Roxas, could you help me with this? I need you to do exactly as I say, alright?"

"Look at those two lovebirds. The sight of them working together on our food is like watching a married couple prepare for a romantic meal." Axel gushed.

"Dude, could you not do that? It's a bit creepy." Hayner whispered.

"But it's true! Just look at those two! They're practically made for each other! I feel as if I must bring them together, no matter what!"

"But it's none of your business." Demyx said.

"Shush! Think of me as Cupid! My arrow will pierce their hearts, bringing those two lonely beings together!" Axel exclaimed, pretending to shoot an arrow from a bow. He shut his left eye, and aimed his finger at the two blondes working in the kitchen.

"Cupids don't light things on fire, nor do they blackmail a school into submission." Demyx muttered.

Pence snorted, and Hayner held back a laugh.

Axel cast a side-long glance at the sitarist and aimed his imaginary arrow at his face.

"Men don't cry when they break their perfume bottle, nor do they own perfume. Zing!"

"Ugh..." A moan was heard, and the boys dwelling in the living room turned to look at Olette, who had miraculously woken up faster than they had expected.

"Olette, you're up! Are you alright? Does it hurt anywhere?" Demyx asked with a worried look.

The groggy brunette blinked a few times, then shook her head. "Nah, I'm think I'm alright. Anyways, I gotta start setting up for dinner… preheating the oven."

She swung her legs off the couch, trying to get up, but Axel grabbed her shoulder. She gave him a questioning look, but Axel only grinned at her. He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, motioning for Olette to look towards the kitchen.

"Is that...Naminé?"

"The one and only."

"But… what's she doing here?"

"I don't know; she just appeared when Roxas came back."

"Roxas went somewhere?"

"You were knocked out."

"Ah..."

"Man, Naminé's awesome! She's cooking in your stead!" Demyx exclaimed, providing unnecessary gestures, attempting to show the level of the girl's awesomeness, but accidentally smacked Hayner in the face.

"I see...well, I'll go greet her."

She tried to move forward, but Axel still had a vice-like grip on her shoulder.

"Hey now, don't interrupt their moment! It's a golden opportunity!"

"What? What are you talking abou-OHHHH! Gotcha." She backed away.

"Sooo....anyone up for Brawl?" Hayner asked.

Five hands shot out in a desperate struggle for a Wiimote, and in the end Demyx was the loser.

"Alright! Time to get this battle started!" Hayner screamed, jumping up in the air as he did so.

"No using characters from the top tier, alright guys?" Pence said.

"Tiers are for queers, mate!" shouted Axel, proceeding to whack him with a nunchuk.

"They're always so noisy."

"But they're your friends, so you must like them for being so rowdy, right?"

Roxas blushed at being seen through so easily. He reckoned that he did appreciate this hullabaloo. Moreover, he was embarrassed by the fact that Naminé was in his own kitchen. Imagining her cooking his meals in a possible future send him skyrocketing onto Cloud Nine.

"Roxas? You're burning the food."

"OH SHI-"

**A/N I MADE IT! Yes, this chapter is short, again, but please bear with it. I've had very little time to myself, but at least now I have a BETA READER. 8D**

**So, I have to say my goodbyes for now, since I'll be leaving a two days. Have a happy Valentine's day to all of you, and please stay tuned! Next chapter, will be longer, I promise.**

**P.S. storm of loyalty, you! Stop screwing with my mind! I know who you are. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Yes, it's the moment you've all been waiting for (not)! I present to you another chapter of a completely fictional and noobish fanfiction! Enjoy, y'all!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KH. I would have to be Japanese first to be able to own it. =p**

_Previously..._

"_Tiers are for queers, mate!" shouted Axel, proceeding to whack him with a nunchuk._

"_They're always so noisy."_

"_But they're your friends, so you must like them for being so rowdy, right?"_

_Roxas blushed at being seen through so easily. He reckoned that he did appreciate this hullabaloo. Moreover, he was embarrassed by the fact that Naminé was in his own kitchen. Imagining her cooking his meals in a possible future send him skyrocketing onto Cloud Nine._

"_Roxas? You're burning the food."_

"ALL RIGHT! NAMS, YOU'RE A LIFE SAVER!"

Axel, who was ecstatic at seeing the spread before him, shuddered, and sharpened his fork. Demyx was playing the Ode to Joy on the sitar, and everyone else was amazed at the quality of the food. There were taquitos toasted to a golden colour, beef ravioli fresh from the stove, caesar salad topped with crushed crutons, and a giant turkey with the traditional stuffing. Although this kind of repertoire was a bit inappropriate for a Christmas dinner, nobody complained. At least they had something to eat.

"Oh my God, this looks awesome!" Olette gushed.

"No kidding! Why don't you ever make awesome stuff like this, Olette?" Hayner said, earning him a well-deserved punch in the face. Roxas swore that he could have heard something crack.

Namine, embarrassed by all the attention and praise, smiled politely and stared at the table as if there was something very interesting about the aged mahogany. In a quiet voice, the young teacher said, "Well, I only did what I could. I hope you like it."

The whole group, save for Roxas and Namine, were too hungry to even hear her. The gang cheered, and picked up their dining utensils. The first to reach the food was Axel. The red-head bellowed, shoved a chunk of turkey into his waiting jaws...and fell over. Froth bubbled from his mouth and his pupils contracted. In an instant, the room fell silent. Pence looked at the pasta stuck on his fork, and looked at Axel. Hayner dropped the taquito he was holding, his mouth still open. Demyx was slow to start, and was thankful at being late. He pretended that he never wanted to take part in the feast, which was seen through by everyone. Roxas was too busy watching everybody else to even put anything on his plate.

"What's wrong?"

_The dangerous question born from ignorance! _Everyone except for Namine thought.

"...Who's up for Brawl?"

"Me!"

"I'm in."

"Me too."

"Wait for me!"

Before Roxas could even blink, Olette, Pence, Hayner, and Demyx were gone. This left the two remaining blondes and the unconscious red-head at the dinner table. Roxas looked at his friends, horrified. It was clear that they wanted him to finish everything off. The table was still piled with the horrid poison, and Roxas was on his own.

"Say, uh, aren't you going to eat some?"

"Oh, I'm on a diet, so I'm not going to eat. Help yourself!"

"..."

Roxas pondered on how many years he would lose after going through with this ordeal. There was always the option of chickening out, but then again, he wouldn't look that cool, especially to his teacher.

_'Wow, never thought that I'd want to look cool in front of my teach...'_ Roxas thought to himself.

"Roxas? Is something wrong?"

"Oh! Uh, no! I'm fine! I'm not going to die anytime soon, right? HA. HAHAH." The poor boy laughed out forcedly. He eyed the food, and bravely traversed onto dangerous lands.

"I'm going to start!"

"Please do."

"Here goes!"

"Alright."

"Thanks for the food!"

"You're welcome."

Roxas stabbed off a slice of turkey and inspected it. The meat looked incredibly tasty, and most of all, edible. Just what lay beneath its tempting exterior?

"Oh geez, Hayner just called me over! Gotta go see what he wants!"

Roxas bolted out of his seat and sprint-walked to shelter. He grabbed the guys who were playing and formed a group huddle. Namine, thinking that nothing strange was going on, just sat at her chair, giving Roxas the space he needed.

"Okay, there is no way in heck that I am doing this alone."

"I'm sorry Rox, you brought her in here, so you're responsible!" Hayner sighed out, shaking his head as if there was no other way than ditching his best friend.

"What? She's not a pet Hayner!" Roxas shot back.

"I don't care! She knocked out Axel! AXEL! A-X-E-L!"

"Got that memorized..." the unconscious redhead groaned.

Everybody, including Namine, stared at him, and after a moment's pause Hayner continued.

"You know your cousin better than all of us! He's the person who has a major in Grossology! A FREAKING MAJOR!" Hayner hissed.

"Yeah, man. I mean, if that stuff can knock out a weird guy like your cousin, then we might reach the afterlife sooner than we expected!" Pence added.

"Besides, aren't you the love-stricken Romeo here? Go take your poison and act like the Montague you are!" Demyx said, finally speaking out ever since the discovery at the kitchen table.

"That's not how the play went!" Roxas retorted.

"WHAT! YOU SAID YOU'RE SO HUNGRY YOU WANT TO EAT OUR SHARES TOO! SURE, WHY NOT! WE'RE BEST BUDS AFTER ALL! WE LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER, RIGHT!" Hayner screamed out, giving not so subtle winks accompanied with hard elbow jabs. The irony was sickening.

"You owe me..." Roxas growled.

All four looked at him as if it would be their last times seeing him. Roxas could not stand looking at them anymore.

"We only part to meet again." Demyx quoted, giving him a salute.

"Shut it, you homo." Roxas replied.

The boy sluggishly returned to his spot at the kitchen table. The piece of meat he had stabbed earlier was still waiting on his plate. Its succulent flavor wafted up and into his nostrils, teasing his senses. He looked up and into Namine's deep blue eyes, searching for something, anything. He hoped that the girl would be able to comprehend what he was feeling, what he was thinking, what he would have to do for her. He hoped that she would notice how self-sacrificing he was, all for her, and only her. However, an understanding did not connect between them, and Roxas was crestfallen.

_'Of course...we're not close at all. We're only student and teacher...'_

Roxas closed his eyes, and shoved the turkey into his waiting mouth.

"Yo, I'm gonna call it a night." Hayner announced, as if everybody needed to know when he was going to leave.

"Yeah, I'm gonna head back too. Catch you guys later." Pence said, packing up his camera into his duffel bag.

"See you at school tomorrow, Roxas!" Olette cried out. In seconds the three were out the door and out of sight. Roxas closed the front door and let out an audible sigh.

"Something the matter?" A voice asked.

The boy turned around and faced his teacher, standing under the glass chandelier. He looked away and answered with an intelligible "Uh."

The blond-haired girl cocked her head to one side. "Does your stomach hurt?" She asked, a hint of concern noticeable.

"N-no, of course not! Your food was great! It was amazing!"

"I never said anything about my food..."

"Guh!" Roxas let out, shocked that he had been found out so easily. Ashamed from hiding this fact, he bowed his head.

"...You know, I always knew."

"Huh?"

"I didn't graduate at an early age for being an idiot. Since the beginning, I knew that your friends didn't want to touch my food. But then again, it doesn't take a genius to figure that out, right?" Namine asked, smiling mysteriously.

"I-I..."

"It doesn't matter. I won't do it again. I'm sorry I bothered you today..." She said, her voice trailing off. Namine made her way towards the door, but Roxas blocked him.

"Huh...?"

"You're wrong."

"Wha.."

"You're wrong!" Roxas said confidently. "You didn't bother us today! Everybody was happy that you came!"

"But the food..."

"So what if it was bad! It doesn't matter how good it tastes, as long as I know that it was made out of love and effort, so..." Roxas said, his voice trembling.

"Stop saying depressing things like this! We're friends, and I think you're great at cooking!"

Namine stared at Roxas for what seemed like an eternity, and giggled. Perplexed, Roxas asked, "What...?"

"No...it's nothing."

"Please tell me!" Roxas exclaimed, catching both Namine and him off guard.

"Well, it's just the first time that I got an actual compliment.." She replied, with a very faraway look in her eyes. Suddenly, Roxas felt a pull at his heart. For an instant, he felt a rush of emotions flood through his body. He saw what looked like sadness in the girl, but just as fast as it came, the feeling disappeared.

"Then..."

"Hm?" Namine said, snapping out of her reverie.

"I'll compliment you everyday! I'll praise you no matter what you do! You just watch me!"

The girl blushed, much to Roxas's surprise.

"Thank you..." Namine whispered, moving closer to the boy.

It was then that they both noticed a mistletoe above them. Roxas just looked dumbstruck, and Namine did not seem to comprehend what the purpose of hanging a mistletoe was for. Suddenly, Demyx burst their bubble by charging into the lobby, playing Canon Rock with his sitar upside down. The two blondes looked at him, and they both laughed.

And just like that, Christmas for the two had ended. What had seemed like an irreparable stalemate between the two had now changed. Roxas felt that somehow, they had gotten closer.

**MEANWHILE...**

"Never gonna GIVE YOU UP...Never gonna...ret rou doowwwwnnn..." Axel mumbled out, still unconscious yet somehow able to speak.

**A/N So the morale is: Don't be like me. Don't procrastinate. Also, a question for you. What CAN'T Axel do? . R&R!**

**P.S. Btw, the quote that Pence uses is a quote from John Gay, famous for his work "The Beggar's Opera". I only had Roxas call him a homo so I could make a reference to John's last name, so please excuse the immaturity. ^^**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Hooray for me! I have time! **

**...Ok fine, I'll admit that I've been lazy, and now I've learned a lesson. I won't make empty promises from now on, I swear!**

**I mean it alright? You believe me right? .**

**Also, I couldn't update since I didn't really know how to go on with this story. There were so many possibilities, and I wasn't sure of what route to take. After all, I'm no author. Still, I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts!**

_Previously..._

_It was then that they both noticed a mistletoe above them. Roxas just looked dumbstruck, and Namine did not seem to comprehend what the purpose of hanging a mistletoe was for. Suddenly, Demyx burst their bubble by charging into the lobby, playing Canon Rock with his sitar upside down. The two blondes looked at him, and they both laughed._

_And just like that, Christmas for the two had ended. What had seemed like an irreparable stalemate between the two had now changed. Roxas felt that somehow, they had gotten closer._

"No, no. It's no bother. I can make it. Plans? What plans?...Oh, them. No, they will be fine without me. It's all for the future of the corporation. Look, I know you're worried about me, but I'm fine. _We're _fine. I'll board the plane tomorrow, got it?...Yes, I know...Right. Goodbye."

Kanzaki Goro hung up the phone and placed it down on the pristine kitchen countertop. He straightened his back and made his way over to the living room. There, he flicked the switch, illuminating the previously dark room in light. In the room was a solitary rectangular table with six chairs surrounding it, two on the longer sides and one at each end. Although the furniture screamed of luxury and upper-class, the room was strangely alienated from the rest of the house. It might have been due to the lack of use by the family members, but the eerie silence that lived in that chamber was unsettling.

Goro took a look around, then slowly made his way over to one end. Pulling out a chair, he sat on it hesitantly, as if questioning his actions. The intimidating man sat straight, keeping his composure, and gradually crossed his arms. He was as still as a statue, and could have been mistaken for one if it weren't for the usual intake of air.

A few minutes passed, and a young girl in a white polo shirt and plaid dress walked in. She stopped at the doorway, staring at the stationary figure near the table, and made her way to the other end of the table. She gracefully rested upon the seat cushion of the chair, making the movement look like a dance. Her hands rested on her lap, and her eyes were downcast, intent on examining the pattern of the floor.

Neither person uttered a word nor moved from their spot. Time seemed to stop in this room, isolated from the rest of the world. Suddenly, Goro broke spell by uncrossing his arms and looking directly at the lady across from him. With a quiet yet frightening voice, he spoke.

"...Namine, where have you been?"

The girl did not respond, causing the man to think that she had not heard him. In a clear voice he reiterated himself. After a moment's pause, the girl lifted her head and replied.

"I was returning a lost item to a pupil of mine."

"You did not answer my question."

No response.

"Have years of formal education done you any good? When somebody asks a question, I expect you to fulfil it with a reasonable and clear answer."

"Yes, father."

"I'm glad you understand. Now, where have you been?"

"...I was at said pupil's house?"

"And what were you doing?"

"Returning the lost item." Annoyed, Mr. Kanzaki scowled and in sarcastic tone, said,

"Because it takes hours to give somebody a lost item."

"I was delayed. I am sorry if I have disa-"

In an instant, Goro was standing upright with the table between the two people upside down. There was a loud crash, breaking the lulling silence. With a furious look on his face, he walked around the table and up to Namine, who, after seeing the upturned table and the expression on his father, kept a calm demeanour about her.

The tall man grabbed her daughter by the wrist and pulled her up so they were looking right into each other's eyes.

"Don't you _dare _lie to me? Who do you think I am?" Goro hissed.

Namine just stared back at him, her face unreadable. Receiving no response from her only irritated him more, and he slapped her across the cheek. Namine fell to the floor, covering the area that she had been struck.

"I brought you into this world. I was the one who blessed you with the gifts of education, reputation, and opportunities. If you continue to rebel against my authority, do you know what will happen..?"

"I'm sorry father..." Namine whispered, her hair covering her face.

"Sorry? SORRY!" Goro shouted out loud. He grabbed the girl by the hair and with the other hand twisted her right arm. Namine bit her lip.

"Sorry is not a word I will accept! Do you think that your disregard for your own father will be that easily forgiven? ANSWER ME!"

"N...no father..." Namine whispered, her eyes screwed shut.

"And what do you think is the only way to atone for this level of disobedience?"

"Punishment of equal or greater level."

"My thoughts exactly." Goro drawled. He released his grip on her, and watched as she staggered backwards and fell against the wall. He watched her with a look of utter disgust on his face. They stayed like that for several seconds, and finally Goro spoke, this time in his quiet voice, pretending as if he didn't just throw a fit.

"How long are you going to waste your time with that pointless teaching job of yours?"

Namine looked up at him with a look of horror.

"I have given lenience and a chance for you to make good decisions, but I believe that that will have to be retracted...for an indeterminate amount of time."

"No..."

"I will call the person in charge there, and you will be relieved of your so-called job."

"No...!"

"Starting from tomorrow, you will be under house arrest, understand?"

"NO!"

Goro stopped, and stared hard at her. This time, Namine had lost her composure for her entire body was shaking.

"Please, father! Don't do this!"

"..."

"If you are going to force me to leave, please, at least let me finish this year's class! I beg of you!"

Namine got down on her hands and knees, and bowed down. Goro only looked at her kowtowing figure, dumbfounded. He was livid, but also intrigued. Finally, he reached a decision.

"...Alright. I will give you a second chance, but on one condition."

"Anything!"

"You leave for Germany once this farce is over. There, you will become head of my branch offices all over Europe, and you will NOT excuse yourself out of it. Do I make myself clear?"

"Germany? But-"

"_Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear."_

The stone-cold gaze that could make any man tremble bore right into Namine's eyes. Her mouth quivered, and spoke so softly that it was barely audible.

"...Yes, father."

Goro smoothed the creases that he made during the scuffle, and headed towards the doorway. Just before he passed the arch, he stopped and said,

"You are of the Kanzaki Bloodline. Excellence, and only excellence in what we do runs through our veins. I once told you that failure is impossible."

Goro closed his eyes.

"...Allow me to rephrase. There are no failures in this family. Not back then. Not now. Not ever."

Without another word, the man walked out of the room, turned off the lights, and to Namine's misfortune, locked the door. The girl stayed where she was, alone in the room, its silence present once again, until there was the sound of water splashing onto the carpet floor.

XXXXX

Roxas could not figure out what to say. He had never been strong at writing, let alone education. However, he seemed to suffer in anything to do with pen and paper. The troubled boy was sitting at his desk in his lofty bedroom, complete with bathroom and closet. He was trying to come up with things he could say to Namine in the future, but they either came up too vague or too cheesy. While milling over the various possibilities, Sora, his twin brother strolled in with an apple in his hand.

"Wow, what's this? Roxas is actually working hard?"

"Shut it, Sora." Roxas growled, not even turning his head to look in his direction.

Sora pulled a puppy-dog face. "Don't be so stingy. I only wanted to help you..."

Roxas rolled his eyes. He knew that his brother was just playing with him. He always had the time to do that, since his intellect surpassed his own. Apparently, being twins didn't mean that they had shared abilities. Rather, a higher power chose to give everything to Sora and left the other with a small brain. Still, they cared for one another, even if Sora tended to rub his superiority in Roxas's face a lot.

"So, what is it? You have to write another essay for school?"

"I don't go to detention that often, bro."

"Really? Now that's news to me."

"Are you helping me or not? If not, then get out!" Roxas exclaimed. The brown-haired boy held up his hands in defense.

"Oh no, Woxie's getting mad! Help!"

Roxas threw a pen at him, which Sora dodged. Laughing light-heartedly, he bounded out of the room. As he was running out of the room, he bumped into their mother, who was going the other way. She gave Sora a puzzled look, and the boy returned it with a dazzling grin before he hopped off in search of another adventure. Sighing, she knocked on the door before entering. Roxas, hearing the sound of the familiar sound of feet on wooden floor, looked up.

"Oh, hey mom."

His mom crossed her arms.

"Don't 'hey mom' me, young man!"

"...Huh?"

She tossed a folded sheet of paper onto his desk. Curious, Roxas picked it up and carefully unfolded it. Apparently, the school had sent out report cards...and Roxas had failed almost all of his courses.

"THIS is what I get after sending you to cram school!"

"I, uh..."

"NO excuses this time, bucko!"

_What are you, a pirate? _Roxas thought. He nearly laughed at his own comment, but stopped since it would ruin the serious atmosphere.

"I can explain."

"Alright, explain. Explain how you managed to fail six courses even with the help of tutors and extra homework."

There was a stifling silence as Roxas pondered.

"Okay, you got me there."

Roxas's mother sighed, and her face went from angry to tired. She walked closer to him and looked the blonde in the eye.

"Honey, I'm worried about you. If you were more like Sora, then it wouldn't be a problem. But you're obviously not."

"Why, thank you for that compliment." Roxas replied dryly.

"Roxas, I'm being serious here! Obviously, that institution has done you no good. And obviously, you're not trying hard enough."

Roxas felt his heart skipped a beat. He was starting to see where she was heading. He felt his eyes widen.

"Mom...?"

"I'm pulling you out of that place."

**Amateurish stories are amateurish. R&R!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N Oh boy another chapter! It's been so long, yet I've always wanted to continue! Seriously, distractions keep popping up. If you're a teen, you know what I mean. _ Enjoy, and always R&R!**

Silence filled the room. Roxas did not fully comprehend what he just heard. He was being released from that place? That hellhole of misery and solitude? It was a dream come true. It once was a dream come true. Now, Roxas was hesitant. He had conflicting feelings; part of him was was brimming to the edge with mirth, yet another part of him felt guilty for the joy he was experiencing. He bit his lip and furrowed his brow, and continued to look at his mother straight in the eye.

She kindly returned the favor. With a fierce gaze that could melt ice, her gaze was unwavering, challenging Roxas's puzzled stare. Her right hand moved from her hip and pointed accusingly at the report card, as if the piece of paper had committed a crime.

"I always knew that you were an inattentive boy, but this is ridiculous! Those extra lessons aren't free, Roxas!"

"Let me expla-"

His mother held up her hand. Pressing forward, she said, "Barely passing is one thing, but now your grades are even worse than before! Look! Just LOOK AT IT!". She repeatedly jabbed her finger into the sheet, clearly trying to impale the letter "F" with her nail. The more she talked, the higher her temper rose. Roxas knew that it was inevitable, but it did not make the situation any less uncomfortable. He knew a scream fest was coming, and braced himself.

It never arrived. What should have been a look of anger was instead replaced with a look of tiredness. Suddenly, his mother seemed to be a lot older than she really was. She held her head in her hands and sat down on the bed. Quietly, so quietly that Roxas barely picked up on the words, she whispered,

"...Roxas, you're already 16. All your life, you've gone into things, yet gave up halfway through! You can't go on like this, Roxas." She paused, giving Roxas a very meaningful look.

"You have to grow up soon."

Five minutes later, Roxas found himself poring over textbook after textbook. At least, he was making it seem like that to his watchful mother. Although she might have the intuition of a God, his skills of visual deception were exemplary. She commanded him to read through the reference book for an hour, yet Roxas quickly saw through the loophole and seized the opportunity. She may be able to force her son to read for a set period of time, but Roxas mastered the art balancing between the states of dream and reality. His eyes would slightly go out of focus while staring at the same picture of the quadratic formula, but his long hair would cover up the trail.

Roxas laughed to himself. There was nobody better than him. A master of stealth was what he was.

"Hey! You made a mistake in your homework again!"

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted."

"What?"

"Uh, nothing."

As he was spacing out, Roxas heard the loud blare of the trashy radio station his brother faithfully listened to. People may hold him in high esteem, but Roxas saw otherwise. He was full of fallacies, with one being his loyalty to the audible garbage he listened to. Cutting into his human screensaver mode, the grating and nasal voice of the radio station host began his daily gossip.

"Looks like Casey Beerhome has been caught smuggling shots of hi-potions into his six-million dollar mansion again. She's been arrested by officials, and by the looks of it, won't be getting out soon. In other news, famous action star Tifa Lockheart has arrived in our very own city to shoot some action scenes for the upcoming movie, 'Lent's Offspring". Cross your fingers, guys, and get your autograph books ready! It looks like..."

"_God, what is wrong with that guy? Always worried about who got engaged instead of who died to protect their country...but then again, I'm not really one to say that."_

Three hours passed, and just when Roxas was about to collapse from overexertion of the brain, his mom finally conceded. His stick figure doodles had ceased to entertain him, and now he was just humming a random tune, that for some reason, sounded really good.

"Alright, I think you've learned your lesson.I expect this type of effort displayed everyday. Do you understand?"

"_Yes, Fuhrer._", Roxas thought to himself.

"I find it amazing that you still have such horrible study habits."

"I find it amazing that you can stand still for three hours without falling asleep..." Roxas muttered in reply.

"What?"

"Nothing, mom."

The boy began to pack his books away, gracefully dropping his reading materials on the ground and tossing stationary into a nearby wooden box. At that time, Sora trotted into the room with a bag of 'Ruffles' chips trapped in his right hand. He threw a repugnant smirk at Roxas, and continued to devour his snack. Their mother looked up at him and said, "Ah, just in time! Could you run over to the store and buy some milk? We're all out."

Hearing those words, Sora went from devil to angel in a flash. His pupils dilated, his hair softened, and his lips went from smirk to smile. With Bambi eyes, he crooned, "Mother Dearest, my soul yearns for rest, for only through sleep will I stay the best."

"_That worm!",_ fumed Roxas.

It was common knowledge that her maternal instincts would not be able to endure such falsified innocence and purity. It made Roxas want to gag, but Axel and company took care of his gag reflex quite a while ago.

"Well, alright..." their mother cooed, and then her voice returned to her former sound frequency and hardness. "Roxas, go get the milk."

"What! But I just crammed my head with knowledge! Don't I deserve a break?"

"I'm your mother," the lady of the house stated.

"Report card." Sora chimed in.

"_How did he know about that!"._

"I saw it earlier."

"_How did he know what I was thinking!",_ Roxas thought to himself incredulously. The power between twins was not to be underestimated. Their closeness developed a level of telepathic understanding, and on occasion, fourth-wall breaking.

"Damn straight."

-A few minutes later-

A cherry blossom got caught in Roxas's hair once again, its heart impaled by a sea of blonde spikes. The wind fluttered the tips of his malicious follicles, and the boy shook his head, freeing the petal from his tangled wrath. The boy sighed for the umpteenth time as he strolled towards the local Safeway. The store was situated at the edge of his neighborhood, so it was a very short walk. As he made his way, Roxas was listening to his favorite news talk radio. He, unlike his seemingly perfect counterpart, was interested in the important events that were taking place around the world, especially events that were taking place in his own city.

"_A spike in criminal activity has emerged. Police have said that it is mostly due to the profit to be gained from black-market merchandise...". _"Well, that can't be good.", Roxas whispered out loud. He had better watch his back, or else he might get caught in something.

Finally arriving at the bank, Roxas opened the glass door...and came face to face with a man wearing a ski mask and sporting a heavy-looking MP5. It had not even been ten seconds and he was already involved in something problematic. Roxas's first reaction was to shout, "Why are you robbing this store in broad daylight!"

The boy was met with a blow to the stomach and grabbed by the hair. The robber half-dragged, half-guided him to the area where all the hostages were being held. He was thrown roughly onto the ground, and an ice-cold gun barrel immediately made contact with his head.

"Stay still. We're going to tie your hands and feet up. IF you even so much as resist, we'll kill you where you stand...or sit.", the criminal whispered into his ear.

Because he was thrown face-down, Roxas could not get a good look at the robber, so he stayed motionless, afraid that he would meet a grisly end. Once he felt the rope tightly tied around his wrists and ankles did he dare tilt his head up. Lying in front of him in the same manner was a man with messy brown hair and a grim face. He was handsome to say the least, but that was the least of Roxas's worries.

"Leon!"

"Shhh! Keep it down!"

As he was about to barrage his acquaintance with a slew of questions, another robber appeared from behind the bank counter, and shouted out,

"Alright, you lot! Here's the deal! I'm only here for the money, so if y'all stay there like good l'il kittens, we'll let you go scot free once we get the money! HOWEVER, if you choose to fight back, we won't hesitate to stop you! Ain't that right, boys?"

A few sinister chuckles followed. It was as if every generic group henchmen had to have a generic sinister group laugh.

"So...you've been warned. I'll be giving you guys a chance to live. Cool? Even if you fight back, there's six of us, and we've all got firearms, so I suggest that you stay put."

At that moment, another man covered in black clothing came out from the washroom with a young woman in tow. She was fairly young, yet had a calm but indignant expression on her face.

"Hey, we found this beauty hiding in the stalls, boss!"

"Tie 'er up!" The boss snarled.

The woman was thrown onto the floor beside Roxas and bound by rope. Her face was set in a permanent scowl, and she turned to look at Roxas and Leon. Without hesitation, she leaned in closer to the two and said, "You, the boy with the scar on his face. Distract the fools. You, girly-looking boy, use your mouth and get the switchblade from my back pocket."

Leon nodded in agreement, but Roxas thought differently.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Did you NOT hear what the scary-looking convicts just said! We'll seriously die! Secondly, why the hell am I helping?"

The woman merely glared at him.

"...Okay.", Roxas replied resignedly.

Leon called out to the guards, claiming that he had to go to the washroom. As he got up, he headbutted the guard, grabbing everybody's attention. The robber, obviously ticked, threatened,

"You looking for a death wish?"

"Ah, sorry, I tripped. Really.", Leon said in a monotone voice.

"_The least he could do is try to make it seem real!"_

While the guards were preoccupied by the ruckus Leon was steadily causing, Roxas inched over to the woman's backpocket, and with his mouth bit onto the end of a polished wooden handle. He pulled it out, and spat it onto the floor. In an instant, the woman's hands were clutching onto the handle, and a sharp blade sprang out of it on one end. She cut through the ropes like it was butter and with such ease it suggested that she had done this multiple times.

Roxas gulped. That woman was really freaking her out. Suddenly, the woman, still crouching, reached forward and cut Roxas's ropes. The boy merely gaped at her.

"You're going to help me fight off these guys."

"_Whaaaaaaattttt!_", screamed Roxas inside.

"On the count of five, I'll get up and tackle the three guys over at the opposite end. Scarface is taking care of two of them, so you get rid of the last one."

"This is crazy! They have guns!"

"We have the resolution to fight."

"We!"

"Okay, ready?"

"Are you insane!"

"Go!".

"What happened to the five!"

But when those words left his mouth, there was nobody around to hear it, for the woman disappeared in the blink of an eye. In a matter of seconds, she had arrived at the far end and had dispatched of two men while fighting off the third. Leon, seeing as how the revolt had started, immediately kicked one unsuspecting henchman in the crotch, snatched his gun away, and knocked the lights out of the other robber with the hilt. At the same time, he stole the gun of the second robber, disarmed it, and threw it on the ground. He left the other MP5 in his hands, pointing it at the robbers. The other hostages stared in amazement at the sudden coup d'etat, and Roxas followed suit. It seemed that these two were combat experts. The three that the woman had been dealing with were now unconscious, and Leon's foes had their hands on their heads and groveling before him. However, there was still one person left, and since he was a bit deaf, did not notice anything out of the unusual until he turned his head. Alarmed, he raised his gun, aiming straight at Leon's head.

"NOOOOOO!", Roxas shouted out. Leon heard that, and with movements of a seasoned expert, shot at the robber's hand, causing him to drop the gun. The woman suddenly reappeared and landed a roundhouse kick in the man's ribs, causing him to crumple. In a matter of moments, everything had been settled. The dust cleared, and the hostages were eventually untied. Leon was praised and thanked by the authorities once they arrived, but the mysterious lady had somehow left without Roxas noticing. He scratched his head, wondering who that woman was. But then, he decided to focus on something more important.

"Leon! Wait for me!"

The two had finally been released from the bank and were making their way home. Apparently, both boys lived in the same area without even realizing it. It was very surprising, to say the least.

"Hey. What's up?" Leon asked as Roxas finally caught up with him. The two walked together on the cracked sidewalk, as the sun began to sink in the far off distance.

"...You were crazy back there. I mean, with those guns and stuff..."

"It's no big deal. My dad's a Green Beret, so I've learned a lot about guns and combat moves from him.".

"_This guy's got something to back up his scary looks..."_

"Wow, that's really cool.", Roxas trailed off. The evening wind started up, and Roxas felt the cool breeze against his cheek. Nothing could be heard except for the rhythmic sound of footsteps on concrete and the rustle of Leon's jacket. The two walked in silence for a bit, then the boy asked another question.

"When that chick asked you to distract the guards, why did you agree to do that? If it failed, you could've met very bad end...". In fact, this was what bothered Roxas the most. The fact that he was helpless and reluctant, while Leon followed the plan without question, was admirable. Although he could not see much at the time due to his fear, he saw that Leon's eyes were devoid of regrets. He was prepared to carry out his task, much like a soldier who was used to seeing the face of death.

Leon continued to look forward, but his brow furrowed, signifying his deep level of concentration. A moment later, he responded.

"I'm not very sure. It was just instinct, or spur of the moment, I guess."

"Huh? Instinct?", Roxas queried, obviously not getting the point.

"Yes...you should know that what the robbers were doing was wrong, right? That keeping innocents in captivity is illegal, right?"

"Well, yeah, but still...even if you say that..."

"There was a kid there. At the bank, I mean."

"Oh yeah, I remember..."

"Do you know what it's like to be caught in a robbery as a kid?", Leon asked calmly.

"Well, afraid."

"Yes. Fear. When I saw that child, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. To that kid, the world is still a beautiful place. I wanted to protect him from the evils of this world, even if it's only for a day more. It applies to all the hostages that were there. Everybody, including you, was afraid."

"Hey, you don't have to say it like that...", Roxas muttered. He was starting to feel like a useless coward.

Leon ignored him, and continued. "I felt the need to protect everyone, that's all."

"Are you religious?"

"No, I just have a strong sense of justice."

Roxas mulled over what he said, and after a pause, asked,

"Weren't **you** afraid?"

Leon looked right at him, and said, "Of course I was."

"Then-"

"Why? Isn't it obvious? If you have something you need to safeguard, fear is inconsequential."

The sun sunk ever lower, and an orange glow covered the brown-haired boy's face in a golden hue. He stopped, and pointed down an alleyway.

"Anyways, my house is down this way. I guess I'll be seeing you at class soon. Later." Without waiting for a reply, Leon walked down the alleyway and soon became a black dot in the background.

Roxas stood where he was and continued to stare at the alleyway, gazing at where the gun-wielding teenager was standing a few moments ago.

"_Something to protect..."_

AND THEN

"YOU FORGOT TO BUY THE MILK!"

**A/N Can you believe that I actually finished another chapter? In fact, this is even longer than I usually make, so I'm even prouder of that fact that I got to do something like this! Yeah, I'm a noob, I know. Still! Anyways, R&R! Oh, and to the one called Sophie, if you're reading this note, here's a new chapter for you! Didn't take too long, did it? :)**

**Deds to .One for helping me edit this! I are bad at the grammaring.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N Yup, I'm actually not dead, though I think that some of you would've preferred that. Yeah, it's been almost a year, but it's not because I've been busy or even lazy. I've tried various times to continue the story, but I felt like I wasn't good enough to carry this story to its end. Things are different now, and I've learned a few things. SO...enjoy! I haven't forgotten you story, and the story is still in my mind!**

_Previously..._

"_YOU FORGOT TO BUY THE MILK!"_

The repeating process of receiving abysmal grades was something Roxas could endure, but truly, there is no suitable defence against the wrath of a mother scorned. He always knew that his mother had a voice that exceeded the vocal range of a normal human being, but the frequency at which she attacked her poor son with had the potential to rip his tiny tympanic membranes to shreds. Three days later, Roxas can still hear a ringing sound inside his head, as if his ears were screaming in agony.

After that incident with the bank robbery, the boy was subjected to a revised schedule of academic refining. Day after day, he would sacrifice his free time to study with his mom eyeing his every moment. It was bad that the textbooks were making his head spin, but the fact that he couldn't even listen to his usual songs on Youtube was plain cruel. He felt like he was Martin Luther King Jr writing his famous letter in Birmingham Jail, except for the fact that he wasn't writing to fight for a cause. He wasn't even writing a letter.

"_...Okay, maybe it's just the fact that I feel like a prisoner here..."._

This continued for a week, although to Roxas felt like several months of inactivity. No matter how much time he spent staring at words and diagrams, his brain was not a sponge. If it was, it would be a sponge that leaked, not absorbed. From time to time, his brother would strut in like he owned the place and play Dragonquest with the volume on max. Roxas once kicked Sora out of the room, but was met with another ear assault at the hands of his mother. There were not a lot of things that could make Roxas feel extreme emotions, but seeing the smug and triumphant smirk on his twin brother was definitely a strong contender. Still, the only thing our tragic hero could do was nothing but sit in front of that desk and suffer.

On the last day of that week, Sora walked into his quarters as per usual, but instead of flinging inanimate objects around the room or verbally harassing him, he walked in with the house phone in his hand. Roxas looked up from his sorry attempt at homework, and Sora offered him the phone.

"It's for you, Roxy."

Puzzled, Roxas asked who it was. If it was one of his friends, they would've just texted him on his phone. Outside of his friends, he didn't know anybody that would call him using the phone at his house. From the moment that the two brothers transferred the phone from one boy to another, Roxas played a quick guessing game of who it could be. Unfortunately, his intelligence skill was lacking, and he failed miserably. With his task completed, Sora (to Roxas' surprise) left without another word. Putting the phone to his ear, the boy said

"Roxas Hikari speaking."

"Hi Roxas. It's your teacher speaking."

"Oh, is that you, Mr. LoveGuy?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that that's not my name! It's Guyvole!"

This unlucky fellow was named Xemnas Guyvole, Roxas' science teacher. Because of the limited number of employees at his school, this man was the teacher for all three major branches of science. In a way, this man was very similar to Roxas. He was not particularly outgoing, and seemed to be in absent-minded at times. However, there was one big difference that made him different from the boy. Xemnas was vastly knowledgeable in what he taught, and loved it. His skill and expertise in the topic provided him with admirers from the students. Nerds affectionately called him "Chem-nas", but everyone else called him by his last name, "Guylove", a not so clever anagram. The man, although tall and intimidating, was shy and socially awkward, which made the students love his classes even more because of his unintentional displays of hilarity. People loved him for how he acted, and so did Roxas. In fact, he was probably the only teacher that the boy actually took a liking to.

This said teacher cleared his throat to risk it from cracking due to agitation, and continued.

"I'm just calling to remind you that your make-up test for physics is in three days. I'm sure that you should've prepared, but knowing you, you might've forgotten about it."

Now, you would assume that a student who spent a week studying would have covered the necessary course material for an upcoming test. Well, in Roxas' case, you would be wrong. Overestimating Roxas' ability to pay attention or prepare for tests is a given. Upon hearing those words, Roxas felt the familiar feeling one gets when a sudden obstacle appears from the shadows and threatens to negatively impact your life in a critical fashion. First, there is a moment of silence and even serenity inside the mind, for the mind cannot comprehend the situation. Once it regains its senses, it only has one response:

"Oh crap."

The teacher sighed.

"I knew it would come to this. It's a good thing that I decided to call you a few days in advance. Now that you know, I STRONGLY suggest that you go and review your notes for the test. And please, Roxas, for the love of God, pass."

"...Oh crap."

The boy was unable to think up of any other response, so he nodded, but then realized that people on the phone cannot see each other. He gave an affirmative grunt that came out as a frail squeak, and hung up. Three days might be enough for the average adolescent, but not for Roxas. Not even the fear of facing death could possibly stimulate this sad creature from learning the appropriate information before the test date. Just as he was about to google effective cheating methods on his computer, the phone rang again. Thinking that it was LoveGuy again, he pressed the accept button to begin his test date bartering.

"Loveguy! Look, uh, I can't do my test on that day! It's, well, my skateboard!...died. Yeah! That's it! My skateboard died! And I gotta attend the funeral service and stuff on the day of that test! So I can't make it, and I'll have to take it another day, alright?"

Expecting to hear the whining complaints from his science teacher, Roxas instead heard a voice that belonged not to a bumbling male, but a female.

"Ummm...Roxas? Are you alright?"

"N-n-n-nnaminé!"

His young tutor was on the line and witness to his incoherent babble. At that moment, Roxas considered taking courses in improving speech. However, he shook his head and returned to his present predicament.

"H-hey. What's up!" Roxas asked in an unnatural voice.

If the blonde-haired girl noticed the irregularity in the tone of Roxas' voice, she didn't show it in her response.

"I wanted to tell you that the assigned homework for the next class was incorrect, but I see that you have other things on your plate."

"Haha..."

Roxas wanted to throw that phone at the wall. Maybe then he could then effectively pretend that his pathetic moment of idiocy never happened.

"Yeah, you see, I have a test in three days that I completely forgot about, and I really don't know what to do."

"What subject is it?"

"Physics." _My worst subject,_ Roxas added in his mind.

"Well then, there's no problem. I can help you with that."

The boy felt a pang of guilt. Since day one, he had been showing the bad side of him to the girl he liked without pause. It didn't help that this girl was so optimistic and kind.

"No, no, no...it's alright! I can totally ace this thing by myself! I'm definitely capable of thi-"

"Roxas, I have a copy of your report card."

"..."

"Your mother sent it to me."

"...Please show me the way, Sensei."

Inward crying was becoming one of this boy's main hobbies.

"Right...I'll see you tomorrow then."

**Ca-lick!**

At that moment, Sora reappeared at the doorway with a phone in his hand and a grin on his face.

"Hey, you wanna hear a funny science joke, bro?"

"...Shut the hell up..."

His grin widened. "WATT's the matter with you, Roxy?"

At that moment, his phone let out a sound effect upon the conclusion of his terrible joke.

**Ba-dum tss!**

Roxas just found another reason why his brother should be thrown off a cliff.

**A/N A little short, right? Sorry man. Don't worry though, more on the way soon. Anyways, Happy Saint Patrick's Day to y'all! Consider this a VERY belated gift. :D**


End file.
